Ethics of the Blogosphere

Allison Gens
ag564012@ohio.edu

journalism-education.cubreporters.org

In a digital world...

As journalism becomes more and more focused on digital content, it seems journalists are turning to nontraditional mediums.

One such medium is blogging.

Journalists are encouraged to create their own websites and blogs to publish their content. Some of the content is not what you would find in a newspaper or on your local television.

Journalist and blogger, Jeff Jarvis, discusses how blogging has changed his view on journalism ethics in the video below.

 What Jarvis says in this video is that journalism ethics are changing with the way content is distributed. Just as ethics codes differ for print and television, ethics codes for the blogosphere have a category of their own.

So what’s changed?

Jarvis brings up three different ethics values he has seen a change in when writing for his blog. These are transparency, correctness, and openness and collaboration

Transparency:

Transparency is an important ethical value for all journalists. It adds credibility and lets the audience relate to the reporters.

In the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics, it states, "ethical journalism means taking responsibility for one's work and explaining one's decisions to the public."

This means journalists have an obligation to transparency in where they found their facts and why they made the choices they did.

However, as Jarvis mentions, blogging give journalists freedom to be transparent by revealing personal opinions.

Jarvis says, “On my blog now, I tell the stock I own and who I vote for and all kinds of things, things that I wouldn't have done back in the days when I was a full time reporter, but I think are very important now.”

Transparency online is not only found through letting the audience know how the story was gathered, but in being honest about the blogger’s viewpoints on situations.

Correctness:

While correctness is important with traditional media, an editing and fact-checking process will catch most errors.

With the high-speed pace of social media and online publishing, it is much easier for journalists to be sloppy with their facts and information.

In the online world, as Jarvis says, mistakes must be fixed quickly and in a way that the blogger lets his/her audience know that there was a mistake but it was corrected.

Just as the SPJ code of ethics states, “Acknowledge mistakes and correct them promptly and prominently. Explain corrections and clarifications carefully and clearly.”

Openness and Collaboration:

A third point Jarvis mentions is openness and collaboration.

Blogs do give the audience a chance to offer ideas, suggestions, information and facts.

This is something very new to journalism, and it something that will continue to grow as more journalism moves online.

The end of Objectivity?

Does blogging really mean the end of objectivity? Does the effort for transparency in the blogosphere mean objectivity not as important, as Jarvis suggests?

The RTDNA Code of Ethics states, “[Journalists should] Present analytical reporting based on professional perspective, not personal bias.”

Jarvis suggests that objectivity in not nearly as important as being transparent. He believes blogging allows journalists to express opinions.

In the Online News Association code of ethics, it states, “Online journalists should maintain the highest principles of fairness, accuracy, objectivity and responsible independent reporting.”

With a switch to online journalism, it may be a case-by-case matter as to when objectivity is important to the integrity of the story.

What we can’t forget

Jarvis does name some ethics values that should not be forgotten, even in the age of digital convergence. These include fairness, accuracy, and balance.

Both the SPJ and RTDNA ethics codes carry these are some on the most important values journalists should possess, which is why they are just as important in the blogosphere.

Going Forward

In the fast-paced, constantly changing digital world, ethics values will still be important for journalists and their audiences. It is a matter of finding the balance and recognizing the changes that need to be made to create a trustworthy and ethical online news source.