Duty to the Truth: A College Junior's Ramblings on Ethical Journalism

Amanda Hagley
ah725510@ohio.edu

A Bigger Picture

Photo courtesy of Whitehouser.com

Want to find a lack or freedom, a lack of democracy?  Look to places where the media is suppressed or overly monitored. Is it fair to say that information from the media creates democracy?  Maybe not, but I can tell you this:  The amount of information the world has readily accessible today sure does hold people accountable for their actions, whole countries and their governments included.  The days of powerful political figures reining terror for months on end without word reaching across oceans until far too late in the game are over.  With current technology and journalists hungry for the truth, nothing can get past the media and the public's hunger for information.

From the beginning, journalism has existed to inform the people and to bring them together; the more democratic the kingdom/city/region/what have you, the more information was shared.  Journalists have (almost) always been used to spread information and keep the public in the know with hard facts and data, so why does it seem that the tides are turning in regards to the priorities of journalists?

Vested Interests

With the decline of the physical newspapers looking like it's here to stay, media outlets need to find ways to keep their doors open and keep the information rolling; but is the need to make a profit interfering with the core values of journalism?  When did income take precedent over finding the truth and having a responsibility to the public, to keeping us free?  Journalism is a career based on character, on trust and on conscience.

 As journalists, we have the power of persuasion.  We can pick what makes it to the public and in which light they get to see it.  If we have morally unsound "professionals" roaming around the newsroom, the trust instilled in us by the public will only continue to deteriorate.  Need more of a description about what's happening to the public trust and why? Check out this interview with Darrell West, an American author, political scientist, and political commentator.

What's the Solution?

Just because things are changing, it doesn't mean that journalism is going anywhere. What needs to happen, mind you this is just the opinion of a lowly college student, is that we need to keep our priorities straight. What is news worth if it's overly commercialized and biased? People aren't going to stop caring about the truth just because it's delivered through a different medium now. What is important is that, as journalists, we stick with our morals, stick with the ethics that guide us, and continue to complete our duty to society; a duty to truth, a duty to democracy and a duty to the people who trust us.