af965610@ohio.edu
Today with our ever-evolving
technology and social media platform the lines of journalism get blurred. And
when journalism gets blurry so do the ethics. With the world of Twitter and
Facebook voicing your opinions is a new pass time of many and can create issues
when dealing with conflict of interest.
Accordinf to the examiner.com
a
conflict of
interest occurs when the journalist “has a connection to the story
subject or issue that might influence how he writes the story, or might cause
people to distrust the writer or the news organization".
How close is too close when it comes to relationships with your sources?
RTDNA’s Guidelines
for Avoiding Conflict of Interest points out that one of the main parts of
a journalists job is to seek out sources and form relationships with them to
compile information. This is when the situation with conflicting interests gets
a little sticky.
For example, Anna
Song a KATU reporter from Oregon City was accused of violation the conflict of
interest code of ethics.
The reporter was
one of the main investigative reporter in the case of two missing girls who
were later murdered in Oregon. The only connection that the reporter has with
these two individuals is that she briefly talked to one of the girls before her
disappearance. She didn’t know the girls or their families personally.
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| http://www.timesfreepress.com/ethicspolicy/ |
Song spoke on behalf of these two girls at a memorial ceremony. This action was crossing the line when it comes to ethical journalism. But when you are reporting in a small town like Oregon City, “reporters are more likely than their bigger city counterparts to be tugged by ties of friendship with sources they encounter on a daily basis”.
This is also where
the idea of bribes comes into play. When you form relations with your sources
there is a good chance those sources will try to secure those relationships
with gifts and or payments. And then the reporter feels obligated to report
what they are being asked and report these things in a certain light.
How much do corroborations control media?
Journalist, especially TV
journalist really have an effect on their audiences. This video points out that
even a simple product placement is unethical in the journalism world. The video
shows a CNN reporter wearing a jacket with a Nike symbol on it. Even though
some people might not look at that as a big deal it still might be subconsciously
skewing the view of the audience.
This is exactly why news stations don’t
want their reporters wearing over the top jewelry or clothes when they are in
front of the camera. It takes away from the story. Instead of people listening
to the content they start looking at the reporter and asking things like “that
necklace she is wearing is very cute, I wonder where she got it?”. Not only
should reporters be transparent in their writing but they should also be
transparent in their image.
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