Conflicting Interests

Louis Baragona
LB699911@ohio.edu

**this is a makeup blog for a post I missed on 9/22/2014, based on the readings due that day**

Journalists are influential. Though many want to paint journalists as minuscule or unimportant, at the end of the day the media and its messages influence the public's thought and action. Journalists and their stories are able to inform and influence thought on a variety of topics, from larger and more polarizing topics like gay marriage or abortion, to which restaurant or shopping mall or product is the most beneficial, clean, or aesthetically pleasing.

Due to its influential nature and ability to directly contact the public, journalism is a major target or source of conflicts of interest. With great power comes great responsibility, and journalists face many daily ethical dilemmas in how to remain honest and unbiased without letting unethical motivators tempt them into poor reporting.

Interests & Credibility
Often anchors and reporters can be recognizable public figures. In becoming a public figure there are a lot of perks and opportunities, a lot of gifts or swag from businesses or corporations to keep the media satisfied or relations favorable.
Journalists should not let money, gifts, or personal bias motivate them in their reporting of a story. One account from the reading discusses a journalist's review of a club... for which he was a partial owner. There is no way that reporter could have entered the story with an unbiased approach. As journalists we can't use our influence or our power for purposes other than honesty and information. We seek to bring the public untainted knowledge, not ourselves monetary or personal gain. Journalism should be done for reasons greater than us.
That being said, though journalists should demonstrate moral propriety, I personally don't believe there is as much of a problem with doing certain appearances. If the reporters from one part of the reading had spoken out on behalf of the product (a drug manufacturer) due to their belief that it was actually for the benefit of the public, but made sure that it was clearly an advertisement or not as a part of an informative, unbiased news program, then it's more ethically aligned than simply pretending not to be a spokesperson.

Paying For Info
The idea of paying for information is definitely of an ethical grey area.
In many cases, some of the greatest and most far-reaching information could not be accessed without some sort of payment. If a source needs money as motivation, it's hard to judge the morality of payment when it is for the purpose of gaining useful or helpful information for public consumption.
When it passes the lines of bribery is when paying for info becomes a major problem. Slipping $100 to a police officer in order to gain the latest gossip is different than agreeing with a source who needs the money in order to interview and answer tough questions.
In my opinion, this is an issue which definitely walks a thin line ethically. In my assessment I think paying for information is easily considered unethical and should be avoided at all costs. Sources that need motivation to come forward should be motivated by public benefit and journalistic integrity dedicated to truth, but often the greatest way to get people talking about their most sensitive informative is to show them the money.

PR 
In the world of public relations, conflicts of interest are a very different game. Whereas print/media journalists face an obligation to the greater good and public awareness, PR professionals also face making the public aware... but remaining dedicated to a corporation, product, or person.
PR pros have to be able to maintain allegiance while still remaining honest. Often this involves attempting to elude tough facts or to sweep secrets under the rug. Though these aren't always ethical, they are part of the job description for a PR job. PR is about making the public favor a business or brand, but sacrificing honesty and lying are unethical both for journalists and for the public.
PR specialists should disclose their motivations, making their intentions clear and increasing transparency. The public deserves to know that they might not be learning everything, though a PR professional might not choose to specify what exactly they are omitting. Sticking to a code of ethics is important, and using an ethical code as a moral guide is an easy way to avoid conflicts as much as possible.

Conflicts of interest are practically embedded into the job description of journalists and PR professionals. How they are handled and what is done to avoid them is a part of a journalist's moral imperative in a position of influence to the public.