Step 1: Clarification of Objective:
The objective is to identify unethical practices within journalism and communication from a provided list. The query "Which of the following is not an ethical practice?" is synonymous with "Which of the following is an unethical practice?".
Step 2: Examination of Practices:
Analysis of each practice is as follows:
- (A) Sensationalism: This involves presenting news to elicit public interest or excitement, often compromising accuracy. It is unethical.
- (B) Plagiarism: This is the appropriation of another's work or ideas, presenting them as original. It constitutes a severe ethical violation in all professional fields, including journalism.
- (C) Paid news: This practice disguises paid advertisements as unbiased news. Such deception erodes media-public trust and is unethical.
- (D) Fake news: This refers to the deliberate fabrication and dissemination of false or misleading information presented as authentic news. It is fundamentally unethical and detrimental.
All listed practices—Sensationalism, Plagiarism, Paid news, and Fake news—are classified as unethical.
Step 3: Conclusion:
Given that all provided options represent unethical practices, the correct selection encompasses all of them: (A), (B), (C), and (D). This corresponds to option (3).