Professionals from the Orlando Sentinel, the University of South Florida and St. Petersburg College engaged University of Central Florida students and professors in a discussion about the importance of ethics in media and academia Wednesday evening.

The discussion brought together experts in philosophy, communication, science and education, topics that will be studied at an ethics center that UCF intends to create. The center will provide resources to help students and Central Florida professionals deal with ethical issues in entertainment and the media, science and technology and other fields.

Panelists discussed the relationship between philosophy and journalism during the forum Wednesday.

"Philosophers and journalists need each other," said Jay Black, a journalism and media studies professor at USF and editor of the journal Media Ethics. Philosophers need to understand the "nuts and bolts" of issues, and journalists need to be more thoughtful.

A philosopher in the audience mentioned that journalists don't have the time to be thoughtful.

"Journalists only have the time to collect the information and disseminate it," responded Manning Pynn, public editor and ombudsman for the Orlando Sentinel.

However, Pynn added that "if you don't guard ethics, you will have no credibility."

Black helped to rewrite the Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics. The code says: seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently and be accountable. "Journalism is not propaganda," Black said.

During a discussion about ethics in science and technology, USF philosophy professor Stephen P. Turner said more than 50 percent of scientists in a survey reported knowledge of misconduct in science. However, only about 150 scientists a year are punished for such misconduct, he said, adding that there tends to be a "see-no-evil" treatment of scientific fraud.

Panel members also talked about how students continue to find new ways to cheat while professors look for the best ways to catch them. Students are "brilliant and creative" when it comes to cheating, said Thomas Derzypolski, a mass communication professor at St. Petersburg College.

Sponsors of the ethics panel were the UCF College of Arts and Sciences, the Philosophy Department, the Nicholson School of Communication, the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities and the Karen L. Smith Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning.