Do Ethics and Bias Go Hand In Hand?

Markita Briggs

mb702210@ohio.edu

Media: Can’t Live With You, Can’t Live Without You

Have any of you ever sat back and wondered what the world would be like if there was no such thing as the media? That would mean no daily dose of politics from MSNBC or Fox, no hearing the latest music and news from your favorite radio or television station and God forbid, what if we couldn't get on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram every day? Our generation would lose their minds!

Whether we want to admit it or not, our lives are controlled a great deal by the media. No matter how big or small an incident is you can find some type of coverage about it some how, some way.  As a result, we constantly debate what’s really newsworthy or only entertainment. It’s common for the public to believe that the news they’re receiving is trustworthy, but is the news we’re getting actually accurate, or are we being swayed to believe one opinion over another? The truthfulness of what we’re being informed about all comes down to one thing: the ethics of journalism. 

Reason v. Gut Reaction

Some may wonder, what exactly is ethics? According to this week’s reading here, ethics is the study of good. Good ethics reflect reasoning, while on the contrary unethical choices reflect one’s assumptions, emotions or gut feelings. As journalist, it is expected of us to follow a code of ethics, such as here, to make sound moral decisions, which will eventually affect the public.

What should be considered morally right or wrong may seem obvious to a lot of us, but as history has proven time and time again moral reasoning is influenced by so many various factors. These factors can include but are not limited to religion, social movements or societal norms, so much that I begin to ask myself more and more whether ethical reasoning and being biased can be the same thing, and if not, are they on the same playing field?

The Inevitable Bias

Our reading for this week did not touch on the topic of bias specifically, but it did touch on the role of self in ethical thinking. It was stated that many philosophers believe in something called ethical egoism, the act of making a choice that will produce the greatest good for oneself. I believe that all individuals practice this is some way, but what one must realize is that what you think may be good for you, may not be good for others.

We all know that remaining unbiased is one of the biggest dos in journalism. The goal of news is to reveal both sides of a story, but truthfully it is nearly impossible for one to do so. This is especially impossible when journalists are working for a certain media outlet whose organization’s agenda or purpose is perceived as biased. Take for example The Guardian's recent article here, covering the decision of the Republican Party to boycott CNN and NBC during the 2016 primary election as a result of their upcoming projects covering Hillary Clinton. This is clearly based off a perceived, and maybe evident, bias. However, bias is still the root of the issue.

Our field is in a constant struggle over covering what is fair, covering what is right and covering in a correct way. Ideally, having good ethics is something we all want to live by, but within our field no one will ever completely follow a group of rules, especially if it hinders revealing what one may believe the public should know.  The moral obligation of journalists is really dependent on the journalists themselves and not on a group of rules that society has formed. Personal bias will triumph ethical reasoning every time.

*Photo credit here