Transparency Needs More Clarity

Makenzie Piatt 
mp689012@ohio.edu 

In ethical journalism, transparency is explaining oneself to the public. SPJ Code of Ethics states how good ethical journalists are expected to be accountable and transparent for ones actions. It seems as though transparency has become an ethical dilemma in itself because no one is sure if it will improve journalistic quality or acknowledge the mistakes.   Many bloggers, writers and experienced journalists have shared their thoughts on the effects of transparency. Even if a journalist is transparent, does it make the situation acceptable?

 

http://www.propertytribes.com/blog/top-6-in-the-property-transparency-league/

Be Truthful

Journalists have an ethical obligation to seek and report the truth. In an article in the New York Times, David Carr wrote about some companies creating news articles to endorse their brand. A very specific one he mentioned was with Verizon creating an article about the need for privacy on the Internet and introducing new technologies to create media property in social platforms. While the name of the corporation was on the article, it was at the very bottom of the story in an attempt to hide the real purpose. The company did not make the truth as obvious as it should have been, and even though the name was on the article, it does not make the situation acceptable to the people who eventually found out the truth.

Report with Caution

In an article written by Stephen J. A.Ward, he said, “ In its rightful place, transparency is a public good. But when transparency is ‘out of place’- when it’s over-hyped and replaces important values- it distorts the ethics of democracy and media.” Ward believes transparency can distort the quality of journalism and could potentially cause harm. He believes transparency cannot replace or resolve other ethical issues at hand. Journalists need to be honest about their intentions and acknowledge the way it may impact what is reported and how.

In a youtube video, “Transparency at Every Step”, award winning broadcast news producer, John Siceloff, stressed the importance of awareness and caution journalists should have when writing and reporting. When a journalists attempts to report and uncover a big and controversial story, anything they say or do can come back to haunt them.

Gain Trust

The public has a declining trust in news media. Articles such as the one written by Verizon creates doubt for many readers and concern for whether or not it is a trustworthy article or propaganda. In an article on Poynter, Tom Rosenstiel wrote about the different levels of transparency and how it affects ethical journalism. A big issue in journalism is getting public trust and believability.  Rosenstiel said, “Acknowledging your relationship to the information is an essential step in establishing why people should believe you. Without it, they should be suspicious.” Ethical journalists should be able to determine the sources and evidence to the story to gain the trust of the readers. Journalists need make their approach very clear. The public wants to be informed with truthful information, but journalists need to determine the appropriate amount of transparency needed for every story.