It seems obvious that staging video is ethically wrong. Much like staging a photograph, it is not a representation of the truth. A staged video is a movie, not a news story; it's the difference between the New York Times website and funnyordie.com.
What's a touchier subject to me is video editing. Much like the issues behind changing a photo (for color, light, sharpness, etc.) or editing a quotation ('do we include how many times this person said 'like'"?), the path gets trickier with video editing. If one person was given five video clips and told to put them together as a story in any way they wanted, and another person was told to do the same, I have no doubt that those stories would end up different. Editing video cleverly is how the most successful reality shows are made. So, how do we edit ethically?
To me, the most useful, most basic tool of good journalism will always be mutual monitoring. Ask a co-worker what they think of an issue - talk to your editor. Of course we should all know the basics of good ethics, but it is when we get too wrapped up in our own heads that we get confused. Just as objectivity is important to journalism - an objective, outside point of view is a gauge on ethics.
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