Are Journalistic Ethics Evolving with the Digital Age?

Alyssa Vaccariello
av689614@ohio.edu

The digital age has undoubtedly transformed journalism, and therefore, what it takes to be a journalist. Along with the advancements that have been made in technology and accessibility of the news, there are some disadvantages that have followed the rise of the digital era. Americans' trust in the media is at the lowest level recorded in history. In a world scattered with "fake news," how can journalists reestablish their credibility?

Source: http://wjhl.com/2016/12/05/fake-news-story-led-gunman-to-popular-dc-pizzeria/

Why can't the people trust the media today?
A lack in transparency, truthfulness, and the involvement of the community are all reasons for journalists' drastic loss of credibility. With the various online sources people can choose to read their news from, journalists have become increasingly concerned with getting their news out the fastest or posting "click-bait" to draw in the most views on their story. This haste and thoughtlessness is partly responsible for the declining trust people have in the media. It doesn't help that with a lot of news sources displaying their political biases, they have lost a sufficient amount of credibility.

How have journalistic ethics adjusted to the digital era?
An article in The New Ethics of Journalism illustrates a New Set of Guiding Principles for journalists better suited for the values held in the digital age:

1. Seek truth and report it as fully as possible.
2. Be transparent.
3. Engage community as an ends rather than a means.

This differs from the originally drafted list of principles from the 1990s which reads:

1. Seek truth and report it as fully as possible.
2. Act independently.
3. Minimize harm.

How can these new principles help journalists regain credibility?
One notable change between the two sets of principles is the transition from focusing on"independence" to "transparency". Transparency has not been implemented to its highest degree in today's media. The reader should be able to follow along with the exact information that the reporter gathered. However, details are often left out for various reasons ranging from sources wanting to remain unnamed to simply a lack of space in the article. This is not being entirely truthful which is another promise journalists make to their audience with each story: seeking and reporting the truth. Journalism becoming more transparent should be a huge help in regaining the peoples' trust. And as technology allows for newer reporting methods and the internet provides more means of communication than ever before, the news is becoming increasingly transparent.

"Minimizing harm" has been changed to "engaging the community" with the new set of principles. Journalists have a duty to understand the needs of their community. Communities differ for different organizations and they're also always changing with the introduction of new ideas and events. This makes "engaging the community as an ends" a rather difficult task for journalists to face. Some ways for journalists to engage the community include sourcing public voices, interviewing the community and telling stories that inspire involvement. Despite the difficulties, if journalism can create a community, rather than just news, the outcome would be incredible.