BuzzFeed publishing the unverified Steele dossier: a brief case study

Abstract

The decision by BuzzFeed in 2017 to publish an article linking to a document that subsequently became known as the Steele dossier sparked widespread debate regarding the publishing of unverified information by professional journalists. In this case study, the ethicality of BuzzFeed's decision is examined, with arguments presented both for and against in the contexts of utilitarian ethics and Kantian ethics, respectively. A personal perspective is offered, supported by the tenets of Aristotelian virtue ethics.