Noting that over the past decade incidents have occurred and new technologies have appeared which together have raised questions about the ethical values of American journalists, this Digest seeks to identify some of those ethical issues and to point to the work of those who have studied these issues. It addresses issues of plagiarism and corporate concerns, noting that with the growing consolidation of already large media corporations, pressure on journalists for biased coverage might be increasing. The Digest discusses media ethics and the new technologies, such as the ability to digitally alter photographs, and the proliferation of 24-hour news networks. It concludes with a discussion of media ethics and codes of conduct, suggesting that codes of ethics are ineffective means of securing good journalistic practices. (RS)