Friday, September 6, 2013

Journalists' Responsibility to the Public

Rachel Link
rl250109@ohio.edu

According to a study by the Pew Research Center, the public has lost faith in many aspects of journalism and news organizations. They have doubts about the accuracy of news reports, due to instances of inaccurate reporting in recent casesThe New York Post featured two innocent teenagers on their front cover, naming them as the terrorists responsible for the bombings during the Boston Marathon. The Post's decision to publish before checking their facts resulted in the men suing them for libel.

It is news outlets' decisions such as these that cause the public to lose trust in the media. And, recent studies show that the majority of people believe that when news outlets make these kinds of mistakes, they rarely admit to them and try to cover them up. Most of the public also believes that news organizations are influenced by powerful people and organizations, making them biased. 



Have the People Lost All Faith in Journalists?

The loss of public favor toward the profession of journalism is at an all time low, with ratings decreasing more dramatically than ever before in the last few years. However, the Pew Research Center article goes on to explain that the belief that journalists serve a watchdog role over the government is on the rise. More and more people from all demographics believe that journalists and news organizations are highly professional and care about how good of a job they do. Also, most people agree that the job of a journalist is harder today than it used to be.

We as journalists have not lost support from the public. They may have lost faith in some aspects of the profession, but they maintain the belief that journalists are necessary in a democratic society and have the public's best interest at heart. They also understand that our society is changing and journalists are facing new challenges.  

Society as a Watchdog

Just as we as journalists hold government officials accountable, it is the public who holds us accountable. The public's attitudes towards our profession is a sort of watchdog role in itself. As ratings of the press decrease, it should fuel journalists to seek to continuously improve themselves and evolve to meet the public's standard. 

Journalistic ethics are all about accountability. In his article "Minimum Standards vs. Ideal Expectations", Jay Black discusses how journalists should maintain a personal commitment to carefully weigh conflicting obligations, loyalties and values. Because their main obligation is to the truth, news outlets should be be committed to a high standard of accuracy, fact-checking and credibility. They must make a commitment to inform the public with the facts and be cautious to remain unbiased in their reporting. 

Earning Back the Public Trust

Meeting the expectations of the public and earning back their trust should be the goal of every journalist and news outlet. A journalist's obligation is not only to inform the public, but to engage and involve them in the democratic process and to serve as a voice for the "voiceless." While every person will not agree with every decision a news outlet makes, ethical standards can guide the decision-making of journalists and hold them to the public's expectations of them.

1 comment:

  1. Too often, the media reports only half a story. In the UK, local and regional papers typically report serious traffic collisions but fail to follow up with equal exposure, the results of investigations ie why the collision occurred and why injuries and death occurred.
    This effectively means that they are failing to serve the public, but simply running stories to sell. There is no attempt to educate the public.

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