To License or Not to License?

Would it be plausible to legally enforce journalism?

Kiley Landusky
kl290311@ohio.edu

What makes a story in the New York Times different from a story in the National Enquirer? Mostly, it’s a difference in ethics. Arguably, it’s pride too. What sets journalists apart from one another is their moral investment in a code of ethics and their commitment to journalistic excellence.

Because anyone can be a journalist, especially with the platforms of communication we have acquired recently, it is difficult sometimes to distinguish ethically constructed journalism from biased, manipulated and flat out incorrect news stories.

Jeff Jarvis featured in the New York Times video above came clean to using a faulty source in the interest of reporting quickly. He says he should've showed his sources and included what he learned as a journalist; using words such as "allegedly" instead of making absolutely certain claims.

Neda Soltani was mistaken for Neda Agha-Soltan because the journalist reporting on Agha-Soltan's death was looking for quick identification via Facebook. Both instances may have been avoided had the reporters thought about ethics first and time crunching last.

Public relations professionals and news professionals have both established codes of ethics to ensure that what the public sees and hears is as truthful, unbiased and fair as possible.

For the Public Relations Society of America, there is the PRSA Member Code of Ethics. I would like to note that this is a voluntary agreement and that the title excludes non-members, meaning that not every public relations professional is required to adhere to these standards.

The Society of Professional Journalists has its SPJ Code of Ethics that explains the role a journalist should play and the ethical principles a good journalist should abide by. It is noted at the bottom that these guidelines are not legally enforceable and therefore cannot be expected from all journalists.

What sparks my curiosity is whether it would be helpful to legally enforce and license journalism and public relations or whether it would ruin journalism.

If every journalist were required to earn a degree, take continuing educations classes, etc., it would be beneficial in that:

• News would be (seemingly) more truthful
• Violation of the code of ethics could result in penalizing journalists for wrongdoing
• Our timelines and newsfeeds would no longer be crowded with other creative works claiming to be news
• Journalists could potentially make more money due to the academic prestige they would have

It would be negative in that:

•          There would be no opportunity to contribute to the media and fill in where journalists may        be lacking
•          Any aspiring journalist would have to pay for this education
•          There would only be a limited voice telling us the events of the entire world
•          Bias is still bound to happen

The fact that anyone can contribute to news may be negative in some aspects because the content is not secured under an ethics code, but the prevailing freedom of this trade has given us a wider variety of news, and an important presence at unpredictable events.

Remember when it made national news about the alleged rape on Court Street last year? I have my own opinions about the media presence there but it is a perfect example of bystanders being the first to report on an incident before any media authorities made it to the scene.

This also displays the difficulty in ethical decisions journalists face when reporting on delicate situations. The Post did not release any sort of identification about the victim, nor did it publish any photos.

This photo was taken from The Post. 

http://www.thepostathens.com/news/local/article_f4b47e38-1320-5c2f-b305-630eaf1326aa.html

On one end, we have the careful kind of journalism we hope to see across the board, without harsh imagery and further embarrassment of victims. Journalism that minimizes harm. On the other hand we have a thirst for truth, perhaps a very vivid truth, which may include the imagery provided by the onlooker but continues to hurt those involved.

It is tricky to say whether we should put all faith into licensed journalists or whether we should continue to allow average citizens to give us news in addition. Both well-trained journalists and those who merely know how to work a smart phone certainly bring negatives and positives to the media.