Ethics form the bedrock of journalism, and an ethical approach to reporting underpins the profession in order to guarantee that information is distributed fairly and as accurately as possible. As journalism undergoes rapid changes in an era of multimedia proliferation, the ethical considerations at play must likewise evolve. This article sets out some of the key components of journalism ethics; how the profession must grapple with an increasingly complex digital age; and the ways in which it might adapt to continue to serve as a powerful force in the quest for truth.
Traditional Ethical Frameworks in Journalism
Journalism is governed by an ethical framework of rules – maxims such as ‘Get it right,’ ‘Don’t be fooled,’ ‘Do no harm,’ ‘Watchdog the powerful,’ ‘Explain your work,’ and ‘Do what you say, say what you do’ – that are meant to ensure audiences receive something that is true and fair, as well as responsible. Those values – truth, accuracy, independence, accountability – might have the air of an altar or a benediction, but they’re more than a pious catchphrase or a little table of virtues. In practice, they are mechanisms to maintain public trust, guarding against the journalism sinking into propaganda, disinformation, or tabloid farce.
One of the most followed codes of ethics within journalism is one developed by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). The SPJ Code of Ethics mandates that journalists must seek truth and report it, minimise harm, act independently, be accountable and transparent. These are the lightposts by which reporters are supposed to guide their behaviour.
The obligation of truthfulness might be the most fundamental of all the obligations. It binds journalists to report the facts accurately and fully, without distortion or omission for the sake of withholding or spinning the truth in a manner that would confuse the public. In a world where fake news could end up causing grave harm, accuracy matters.
Impartiality is another important journalism ethics tenet. Journalists must strive to be objective and avoid having their news coverage colour or affect their stories. In theory, news ought to be reported in a balanced manner, with no personal feelings or outside interests affecting the articles. This is a crucial aspect of news credibility, and allows the public to trust what they read.
Along with accuracy and fairness, journalists must weigh whether a story will cause undue harm. This, too, requires ethics. It’s especially important in stories about crime or disasters, as well as for other vulnerable populations. The SPJ Code of Ethics urges journalists to show compassion and sensitivity. They should show special care when dealing with those who are inexperienced in dealing with public scrutiny.
Perhaps the most important journalistic ethical responsibility is to exercise independence. That entails freedom from, or avoidance of, all financial, personal and political conflicts of interest that could compromise fair, objective reporting. Independence is a fundamental honour code in journalism. It is the ‘coin of the realm’, so to speak, that allows reporters to seek the truth without fear of retribution or outside influence.
Finally, reporting, writing and producing stories based on fact requires reporters to be accountable – to admit errors and correct them promptly – and, to the extent possible, transparent, which means revealing to the public how information was obtained. This can help make the public more trusting of the media and vice versa and promote civic engagement, thus advancing democratic institutions and processes.
For a very long time, these orthodox ethical regimes provided strong support for the profession’s integrity and public credibility. In those days (when profits were generally much larger, too) journalists enjoyed great autonomy to act on the basis of their professional judgments and ideals, and the public was much more understanding of the occasional clerical and factual errors that slip through the editorial process. But today a host of new challenges are demanding that journalists change the way they practice ethics.
Ethical Challenges in Modern Journalism
Although the core tenets of journalism ethics apply, radical changes brought by the new media space of digital and social media, coupled with the community dynamics of the new online public sphere, mean that journalism ethics as a practice is constantly evolving – ethics for a new era in journalism.
Perhaps the most damaging ethical pitfall in contemporary journalism is the urge to publish fast. In the digital realm, news appears instantly, and breaking news peddlers – many of them are newspapers – compete fiercely with each other to own a story. time being the essence, many media houses are forced to publish before they verify their facts – a recipe for disinformation, potentially causing wounds before corrections are made.
And in addition to blurring the boundaries between producers and consumers, social media has led to a merging of professional journalism and citizen reporting. Although citizen journalism can open up the flow of information to a wider pool of contributors, it presents new ethical issues. While professional journalists must usually abide by a code of ethics, citizen reporters may not, which means that the information they pass on might not be as accurate or truthful, or as impartial or accountable as professionally produced content.
A second ethical discussion is that of exploitation through sensationalism and clickbait. At a time when many media companies are funded through advertising revenue that relies on page views, there is a higher incentive to cultivate engagement rather than precision. As a result, we’ve seen the growth of clickbait and the prevalence of sensationalist reporting that misleads the public and can distort much-needed information. Sensationalism is like a drug – it gets attention but it erodes confidence in all journalism.
The increasing prevalence of fake news has given rise to another important ethical issue in contemporary journalism. Fake news is the term used to describe a piece of information that purports to provide a factual update on an event, usually with the purpose of deceiving. The rapid spread of fake news is facilitated by social media platforms that formulate algorithms to boost the ‘relevance’ of content by tracking engagement rate rather than accuracy, thereby precipitating confusion and polarisation in society.
Journalists today, too, can be forced into ethically grey areas when dealing with divisive or politically charged issues. Particularly in an increasingly polarised world, the fear of being accused of bias – either on the part of the journalist or his or her employer or both – can create pressure to find a way to get the story on the record that bends, consciously or not, towards a fixed opinion on the matter at hand. In such situations, journalists must grapple with their responsibility to uphold their commitment to impartiality and fairness, resolving to not add fuel to the flames of increasing societal polarisation.
But the ethical problems in modern journalism aren’t limited to accuracy and impartiality – they also include issues of privacy and treatment of sources. The digital age has made it easier and faster to obtain and share information, yet it has also raised questions about the ethics of how information can and should be used. Journalists frequently have to consider whether they are putting a source’s life in danger by identifying private information.
Moreover, the wider use of data journalism and the rapid integration of algorithms into news production raises new ethical questions. Data journalism depends on large data sets, the analyses of which can uncover trends and patterns. The responsible use of data requires transparency over how it was put together, in order to consider the influence that this might have on the findings. Algorithms applied by journalists must be aware of the possible biases they introduce towards certain conclusions.
The solution to these ethical woes – and their inevitable future iterations – will require media organisations to design their businesses to take ethics seriously. It will require journalists to train themselves fundamentally differently, and it will require journalism organisations to ensure they have the right moral infrastructure to prevent journalists from wreaking more havoc upon their work and the public interest. This process will almost certainly meanics to account for new technologies and new practices; managers design ethical business environments ongoing training of ethics for journalists.
The public can play a significant part in this accountability as sources, subjects, consumers of news and interests. Individuals can fact-check the organisations to which they contribute, and importantly, challenge such groups when false or misleading stories are published. As consumers of news, we can hold the media to account by choosing to support the organisations that take seriously their ethical responsibilities. Whether it’s the archives of The New York Times, the podcast from NPR, or film footage of the protests in Moscow from RT, there are few media sources that are not competing for our attention. Mutual accountability is thus the key to maintaining respect for journalism.
Conclusion
If there ever was a time to focus on ethics for journalists, it is now, when media is routinely multisource, often global and constantly evolving. Traditional ethics have well-honed theories and principles to guide journalists, but they can’t do the job alone. The convergence of traditional formats, new digital distribution channels, social platforms, smart devices and emergent technologies are posing challenges that force today’s journalists into new realms for which they received no training. The key is to continue to teach and reinforce the pillars of truthfulness, impartiality and accountability – and to expand them to meet the challenges of our digital age. Journalism can remain one of the cornerstones of democracy, helping to inform the public and acting as its democratic truth-tellers.