Probably the favorite thing in my work at the Poynter Institute, and I still continue it now in my role at DePauw University, is being on-call. Being what we came to term a "rabbi"—of being ready with some good questions and ideally some insight to virtually any ethics issue that would emerge in a newsroom here in this country or around the world.
Bob Steele is director of The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University, where he teaches seminars on values, beliefs and storytelling, leadership and responsibility, and journalism ethics.
He regularly advises journalists and media leaders on ethical dilemmas and leadership challenges, and is often interviewed about media ethics issues by news organizations.
His professional background includes positions as television reporter and news director.
For twenty years, he served on the faculty of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies where he led ethics and values sessions for news organizations.