What does it mean to act ethically in today’s media?
The Patricia Doherty Yoder Institute for Ethics and Integrity in Journalism and Media strategically expands on Duquesne University’s commitment to ethics by serving as a resource for students, faculty, media practitioners, and the public to cultivate best practices that support fair and accurate journalism across media platforms.
Since 2021, the Institute has offered a variety of programs that showcase the choices, values, and consequences inherent in our media and communicative practices. The Institute coordinates special programming, guest lectures, networking opportunities, high-quality internships, and unique courses that highlight what it means to work ethically in today’s media. It also provides Duquesne students, regardless of their major, the opportunity to help produce Ethically Speaking, the Institute’s podcast series created in collaboration with Duquesne’s Center for Emerging and Innovative Media.
As part of its mission to restore public trust in journalism, the Institute has partnered with several Pennsylvania universities to host the Keystone News Summit — an annual gathering of media professionals, journalism professors, nonprofit and profit-making news organizations, and government officials for a nuanced discussion on workable solutions to the challenges facing today’s newsrooms. The summit provides a critical forum for exploring new business models, fostering collaboration between news organizations, and addressing ethical concerns in contemporary journalism.
The Institute also partners with the Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law to host an annual Tech Symposium each fall. The Institute moderated panels at the symposium focusing on generative AI’s influence on news and media, AI’s influence on social media, and AI’s influence on the gaming industry.
Along those same lines, the Institute sponsors a visiting media scholar, whose mission is to offer cutting-edge courses not part of the core curriculum but aimed at keeping students up-to-date with the many changes affecting the industry. In spring 2025, visiting media scholar Sara Bauknechts taught AI in the Newsroom, a course offered to all Duquesne University students.
The Institute occasionally recognizes outstanding journalism practitioners and bestows awards to Duquesne students conducting research in media ethics.
The Institute’s work is made possible thanks to a grant from Duquesne alumna Patricia Doherty Yoder.
