Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
the importance of ethics in journalism
the importance of ethics in journalism
the importance of ethics in journalism
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: the importance of ethics in journalism
Journalism and the Code of Ethics
Introduction:
What? Thesis - Current code is irrelevant to journalists
Why? Importance of ethics in mass media
[IMAGE]How? A qualitative look
Areas of concern
----------------
1. Current Code of Ethics
2. Responsibility of Journalists
[IMAGE]3. Forces that motivate Journalists and how this impacts the
truth
Analysis:
Current Code of Ethics creates a false perception that Journalists are
unbiased.
[IMAGE]
Conclusion:
There is no need for the current Code of Ethics.
We need to redefine the code in order for it to be effective.
[IMAGE]Mass Communication
=========================
Mass Media Ethics
=================
[IMAGE]
Major Essay Topic:
[IMAGE]Journalism and the Code of Ethics
Introduction
============
Define Ethics
Impact of Journalism in Society
What? The current code is irrelevant to journalists, for they are
agents of the mass media employed by those most powerful and
influential in society.
Why? Ethics is important in every aspect of life especially important
in our communications with others. An exploration of the ethics and
the motivations that underlie journalists (influential agents of mass
media) is fundamentally important in understanding the mass media as
an agent of those dominant in our society and the forces that motivate
them in their exploration of the truth.
[IMAGE]How? A qualitative analysis of the issues pertaining to
journalism and the current Code of Ethics, utilizing information from
a variety of different sources to obtain a vast body of knowledge
pertaining to journalism and the current code.
Areas of Concern:
1. Current Code of Ethics:
Defintion
What it entails?
Relevance to Journalists
+
2. Responsibility to Journalists:
Based on the assumptions in the Code of Ethics
Objectivity
To society and the public
Loyalty to owners
+
3. Forces that motivate Journalists that influence the truth:
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,
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.
Over recent years high profile cases have brought to the forefront, questions of ethics in journalism. The purpose of this thesis will be to investigate the significance and context of a past case in which a journalist and news organization engaged in questionable operations to report the news. The issue being discussed is the considerable attention gained by the local media for the negative role they played in the Sept 27th 1990 “Henry's Publick House” incident. This thesis will address ethical questions within journalism from the viewpoint of the news organization of this case study and their breach in ethics.
Newsweek launched its inaugural issue on February 17, 1933, featuring a speech by Germany’s new chancellor, Adolf Hitler, as well as the election of Franklin Roosevelt. The Washington Post’s parent company acquired the magazine in the 1960’s and Newsweek became a definitive source of news analysis and opinion. It applied a liberal bent to its coverage of politics and war. Those were the days when good content was worth waiting for. Newsweek thrived in the 1960’s, giving coverage to black America and the Civil Rights movement, the counterculture in the arts and on campus, the space program and giving bylines to individual writers and critics. Newsweek was against the war and received awards and circulation gains for that stand (Shufelt, 2007).
There is no denying that news media is big business. The complete coverage of stories and investigative reports are certainly at risk with the rise of media as a business, rather than strictly a service to the public. Over the past few years, there have been a number of cases where television stations or news publications have killed news stories or forced reporters to slant stories due to pressure from advertisers or those in power at the news. This paper will attempt to examine the relationship between social responsibility and news editors, and apply ethical theories to explain what should and can be done. Should editors have the power to kill or slant stories, depending on their own interests or those of their advertisers?
During the Vietnam War, a rift between government officials and journalists emerged. The American government felt the need, for various reasons, to censor many war developments. In an attempt to act ethically, the press fought the censors, trying their hardest to report the truth to the general public. Despite claims of bias and distortion by several prominent government officials, these journalists acted completely ethically, allowing the general public to obtain a fair, informed opinion.
Despite the difficulties of their time period, there are certain ethical journalism standards that should not have been breached. The Society of Professional Journalists lists four ethical values that...
In today’s society, journalism is a constantly evolving profession which operates under an unofficial set of guidelines. Journalists, defined by the lecture titled “Foundations”, are tasked with providing truthful and accurate information to the public while weighing this information against potential ethical violations. Pointedly, when applied to the George Smith video, we must weigh the public’s need for information against the potential harm or discomfort it may cause. Journalists are not bound by law to uphold these principles, however, to remain a trusted and reliable purveyor of information, a journalist must combine their normative skills with ethical considerations. As explained by Lindsay Palmer in her lecture (2014), the need for ethics in relation to media, specifically global media, is extremely crucial because
Journalism is a discipline of collecting, analyzing, verifying, and presenting news regarding current events, trends, issues and people. The certain individuals who practice journalism are called journalists. Journalism's main goal in reporting events is to state who, what, when, where, why, and how, and to explain the significance of all. There are two main types of journalism which are print journalism and also broadcast journalism. Print journalism can include newspapers, news magazines, newsletters, general interest magazines, and online news pages. Next is broadcast journalism which actually merges off into two categories which are radio and television. Radio gathers the facts and the journalist are forced to convey the story with the help of interesting noises and background sounds. Television mainly relies on visual information to display and basically help tell the story. Through the use of the television it proves to help characterize the story with the use of on-camera interviews, interviews with people involved in the story, and pictures or video from where the story took place. Journalism has developed steadily over the past years and it is a part of society's everyday life.
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,
she effectively remain a credible journalist while still holding her vow to help those "trapped in
..., then where is that code of ethics that journalists are supposed to know? I became a journalist in the first place to open up people’s minds about new ideas and things that are going on in the world. I understand that everyone wants a fun article to read once in a while, but when the article is downright useless, then there is a problem. I notice that most of the magazines with these articles are gender-based and popular among the 18-34 year-old age market. These articles can also be perceived as somewhat condescending to the reader because if these are what sell, then this tells me that most Americans only want to be entertained and not informed. There is also one final thought that I have on this topic: should the media be held responsible if a reader takes the contents of an article so seriously that negative results will be produced as a result of the article?
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.
In the document, Media transformation, Ownership and Diversity, the ANC criticises the South African media’s self-regulatory model. The fact that the media are first and foremost corporations is incredibly important. Following the recent decline in print media consumption, journalistic standards have dropped following budget cuts by the corporations. (Duncan, 2014, p. 170) Because of the former self-regulatory model, the ANC were concerned that journalists would not call each other out on lapses of ethical conduct.
Thirty years ago, if I told you that the primary means of communicating and disseminating information would be a series of interconnected computer networks you would of thought I was watching Star Trek or reading a science fiction novel. In 2010, the future of mass media is upon us today; the Internet. The Internet is and will only grow in the future as the primary means of delivering news, information and entertainment to the vast majority of Americans. Mass media as we know it today will take new shape and form in the next few years with the convergence and migration of three legacy mediums (Television, Radio, Newspaper) into one that is based on the Internet and will replace these mediums forever changing the face of journalism, media and politics. In this paper I will attempt to explain the transition of print media to one of the internet, how the shift to an internet based media environment will impact journalism and mass media, and how this migration will benefit society and forever change the dynamic of news and politics.