Although ethics and journalism have been discussed
before in conjunction with other principles, this week’s lesson helped paint a
clearer picture of how ethics plays a central role in journalism. It is a powerful but true statement to state
that journalism is an act of character.
People depend upon news presented as a way of obtaining information and
forming their own opinions about issues, events, and people in the world. As a result, journalists have an obligation
to exercise their conscience, and a heavy burden rests upon their personal
ethics and judgment. Many journalists
succeed in this endeavor, but those fail to be ethical in their reporting
undermine this vulnerability and trust for those reading or listening. For example, one major problem in journalism
occurs when journalists fabricate the news.
Journalists may present the truth creatively and even borrow from the
novelist in the writing format, but they must always remember to never make
anything up. Stephen Glass, a reporter
for the New Republic, fabricated at
least 27 of the 42 articles he wrote for the magazine, and this mistake was so
notorious that the storyline of the film Shattered
Glass was based upon this journalist.
However, despite the journalistic world certainly
being far from perfect, numerous institutions and sources are readily available
to prepare them for approaching difficult situations in an ethical manner. Most news outlets strive to achieve an open
newsroom that allows people to challenge one another’s assumptions,
perceptions, and prejudices. In this
sort of environment, journalists have the responsibility to exercise their
personal conscience and are able to challenge news editors and established
authorities if required. Diversity in
the newsroom is important to achieve this goal because the newsroom in that
case is more representative of the community, so the views are more accurate
and representative, which can help create this honest, open atmosphere. Further, other institutions dedicated to
journalistic values, such as the Poynter Institute, the Society of Professional
Journalists, and the American Society of Newspaper Editors. The Society of Professional Journalists
highlights four essential attributes of an aspiring journalist: seeking the
truth and reporting it; minimizing harm, namely showing compassion and treating
sources as humans; acting independently from any interest other than the public’s
right to know certain information; and being accountable for one’s actions.
Given these ethical values, it is easy to see how a
journalist has to maintain a precarious balance between presenting the truth in
an engaging manner without letting one’s personal interests infiltrate the
story. I admire how Jason Barron’s and
J. David Goodman’s New York Times
article entitled “Northeast Suffers Huge Damage in Storm’s Path; Millions
Without Power” manages to convey the suffering, death, and destruction caused
by Hurricane Sandy in New York City without becoming inappropriately emotional:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/us/hurricane-sandy-barrels-region-leaving-battered-path.html?ref=global-home
. However, a more sobering example I
found illustrates how a reporter did not construct his story ethically. Although it is certainly important to check
facts before writing a story, Washington
Post reporter Daniel de Vise showed entire drafts of his article to his
sources. While reporters are can verify
with sources if they believe there has been factual inaccuracy, they are not
supposed to show sources entire drafts to them “to avoid undue influence”: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/post/post-reporter-criticized-for----checking-his-facts/2012/07/25/gJQA9Yot8W_blog.html. The Poynter Institute even mentioned this
incident on its website, stating that after this debacle, reporters are
required to have their editor’s approval before sending drafts to sources: http://www.poynter.org/latest-
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