Media and Journalism Ethics University of the People Author Note This paper is being submitted on March 22, for PHIL 1404: Ethics and Social Responsibility Unit 8 – Applying Ethics to Diverse Societal Issues Journalism ethics are transitioning from a localized or national view to a global and world perspective. Regardless of which normative ethical theory one may choose to apply, (consequentialist, deontological or a virtue) media and journalism ethics is a relevant discussion because of the global significance. Although a universal standard of media ethics has yet to be established, media and journalism ethics is relevant and carries a significant societal and global presence. Global media ethics attempts to establish a …show more content…
According to Ward, “global media ethics has a responsibility to present information in a way that supports multiple views and helps groups understand the issues that affect our global concerns.” (Ward, n.d.). Journalists should see themselves as part of a larger collective and as representatives of the world citizens. Objectivity in journalism should be accurate, balanced, and relevant with cross-cultural perspective. Journalists must report and disseminate information with impartiality and honesty, they also need to be cognoscente to the impact their news reporting will have on the people involved as well as the world at large. According to The Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics, “Journalism serves justice, democracy, and public enlightenment and ethical news gatherers should strive for free exchange of information that is accurate, fair, and thorough”. (Lehrman & Wagner, 2015). Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Wasserman suggests media outlets are encouraging people to engage in online rage and rudeness. (Wasserman, 2015). Many newspapers are unwilling to implement an online strategy to preside over conversations and encourage honesty, civility, and respect. Currently many online news sites have no rules in place to facilitate ideas, communication, and the global …show more content…
In light of the globalization of news and the immediacy and ability to spread lies as easily as truth across the globe, where does the responsibility lie? Ethical questions are being discussed from the consequential, deontological and virtue ethic perspectives and all should be addressed with a universal standard of disseminating fair and accurate information in a civil, responsible, and humane manner. Lapses such as undercover reporters violating school sanctity, or live coverage influencing the event, or the abhorrent practice of fabricating stories for sensationalism and content all support the need for a universal standard of media ethics. News has become a form of entertainment at best and making it fun, engaging, and controversial takes precedence over the serious and professional conduct the industry ought to follow. Journalism must rise to the challenge and work to remove the stain on their collective
In Rushworth Kidder’s book “How Good People Make Tough Choices,” Kidder provides a series of different methods, codes and examples of what being an ethical journalist could mean. He gives examples of different situations where a person’s ethics are tested and what would be a good way to deal with these situations. He starts by explaining the difference between things that are right-versus-right dilemmas, and those that are right-versus-wrong dilemmas.
Since the beginning of journalism there has been a controversial debate over ethics and the extent to which a journalist may go to obtain a story. According to W.E.B. Dubois, integrity, honesty, decency, and courage are four primary ethical principles every person should follow. Author Janet Malcolm dives deep into the ethics of journalism in her groundbreaking publication The Journalist and the Murderer. Malcolm analyzes the ethics of best-selling author Joe McGinniss during his time developing a story on Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald.
In comparing ethical issues surrounding the journalists in “All The President’s Men” and “Welcome To Sarajevo”, there are several ethical issues that the journalists experienced. Ethics are an important aspect of journalism, since journalists face a multitude of ethical issues within their industry. Therefore, there are ethical guidelines that journalists’ use called “The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics” [SPJ Code of Ethics]. When analyzing how the journalists in “All The President’s Men” and “Welcome To Sarajevo”, one can refer to the SPJ Code of Ethics to observe the possible ethical issues the journalists experienced. The four main concepts in the SPJ Code of Ethics are: seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently,
In “Reporting the News” by George C. Edwards III, Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry, the main idea is how the media determines what to air, where to get said stories that will air, how the media presents the news, and the medias effect on the general public. “Reporting The News” is a very strong and detailed article. The authors’ purpose is to inform the readers of what goes on in the news media. This can be inferred by the authors’ tone. The authors’ overall tone is critical of the topics that are covered. The tone can be determined by the authors’ strong use of transitions, specific examples, and phrases or words that indicate analysis. To summarize, first, the authors’ indicate that the media chooses its stories that will air
Though the perspectives of Aristotle and Foucault demonstrated some clear relevancies to the MEAA code, analysis has revealed that Kant and J.S Mill pertain the greatest amount of significance as a whole. As such, there is obvious dissonance between what the MEAA code specifies in comparison to public interest; this is essentially problematic as it leaves journalists confused about the methods of honest and ethical reporting. One could essentially argue that a reform of the MEAA code is necessary, however, any changes to the current structure would still carry no obligations for journalists to comply with them. Thus, it is clear that further ethical regulations in Australia need to be created, implemented and legally enforced in order for them to have a serious impact on the way the news is reported. Although clear difficulties exist in creating such a structure, this essay provides a foundation by which future policy could potentially benefit
It is not uncommon to hear people complaining about what they hear on the news. Everyone knows it and the media themselves knows it as well. Some of the most renowned journalists have even covered the the media’s issues in detail. Biased news outlets have flooded everyday news. We find that journalism’s greatest problems lie in the media’s inability for unbiased reporting, the tendency to use the ignorance of their audience to create a story, and their struggles to maintain relevance.
The evidence presented here demonstrates that the effect of market had been to provide the key mechanism by which the ethics of media have been eroded. Guo Zhenxi and CCTV-2 were selected as illustrative examples to explain the media-corporation clientelism. As the deleterious effects of commercial forces upon public communication, mercenary journalism, or an abused of journalism for economic benefit, is not specific to China. News organizations and journalists in developed countries have had to face the twin impacts of marketized market-driven media: bring economic prosperity to media on the one hand and provide the key mechanism by which the ethics of journalism were eroded on the other. For example,
Demir, Muge. "Importance Of Ethic, Credibility And Reliability In Online Journalism." European Journal Of Social Science 24.4 (2011): 537-545.
In the media, defaming is taken quite seriously, if an individual is caught in the act. There have been a number of cases where a media individual has defamed someone, for example, Kyle Sandilands’s on air rants – one case where he stated that, Magda Szubanski should be in a concentration camp because she is overweight. Defamation can be defined as the act of damaging the good reputation of an individual ei – slander (Law Hand Book, 2015). This essay will outline whether defamation law is an ethical issue as much as it is a legal issue. Firstly outlining what defamation means for the media industry in Australia, Secondly outlining defamation cases in the media, and then lastly concluding the statement.
Public journalism has changed much during its existence. Papers are striving to actively involve readers in the news development. It goes beyond telling the news to embrace a broader mission of improving the quality of public life. The American style of journalism is based on objectivity and separates us from the bias found in most European partisan papers. American journalism is becoming too vigilant in being objective that the dedication to investigating stories tends to be missing in the writing. Public journalism works to incorporate concepts from partisan and objective writing to increase the flow of information and improve the quality of public life.
she effectively remain a credible journalist while still holding her vow to help those "trapped in
"Journalism Ethics Online Journalism Ethics Gatekeeping." Journalism Ethics for the Global Citizen. Web. 05 Dec. 2010. .
The primary role of media delivering the news to the public is to gather and report news
In trying to attract new audiences, news media have begun to transition from reporting to becoming a form of entertainment. With the meteoric rise of social media’s role as a news source, the fight for an increase of diversity in the media, and the ever-growing desire of immediate content, the future of responsible journalism is more important than ever. Ask yourself, why do I think the way I do? Where do my political views originate? How do I prove them? Most likely, it is due to the biased portrayal of issues in the media and the politicization that accompanies what we consume. Now, compare your views to your preferred news reporting entity. More than likely, they are the same.
Meyers, C. (2010). The 'Standard Journalism ethics: a philosophical approach? Oxford University Press. Nordenstreng. K. (1995)