Laurie
Ewart
le060610@ohio.edu
Who Do You Trust?
Before
I began my college career I was a very naive high school student who believed
most of the information that was delivered by news sources. I didn't see any
reason that a news outlet would alter truthful information. That would be
silly, right? Wrong.
Photo from
http://www.sree.net/teaching/lateditors.html
For
instance the photo above is one we have discussed in my J3200 ethics class
with Professor Rogus. The top photo is a combination of each of the bottom photos.
As you can see, the top image conveys a completely different image compared to
the others. If I were asked what was occurring in the top picture I would
easily say that the soldier was warning or threatening the man with a young
child in his hands. As journalists we should never create an image so that we
have a good story. Sadly "seeing is believing" doesn't really hold
true in the news world today. Events like this are the exact reason the public
hesitates to trust journalists.
Yes,
there are some news outlets that intentionally report information on a bias
(the sources that are not credible). But, there are also great news sources
that focus on giving their audience unbiased factual information. These news
outlets are picking journalists' reputations up out of the dirt.
Unfortunately some
ethical decisions that journalists face aren't as black and white as, "Do
I alter this picture, or not?"
Difficult Decisions
Although
many outside people do not see it, being a journalist is an extremely demanding
job. On top of the the every day tasks of finding sources, conducting
interviews, writing stories and so on, we are constantly under public scrutiny.
Every move we make is examined by the critical eye of society.
Conflicts
of interests are a huge problem within the journalism industry. The Los Angeles
Times ran a story in 2002 that focused on just
that.
"It
was a lovely eulogy, heartfelt and warm, that Anna Song gave at a public
memorial service for two girls who were kidnapped and murdered in Oregon City,
Ore. She was tender, she was compassionate, and there was no cause to question
her sincerity. Only her judgement."- L.A. Times
As a journalist, Song's responsibility was to stay impartial
because she was covering this story. It is very obvious that she did not. This
is the perfect example of a conflict on interest. On a personal level Song
became attached to the girls and emotionally connected to the story. On a
professional level Song needed to never become emotionally involved with the
story. She completely crossed the professional line by speaking at
their funeral.
Solving the Problems
Public trust is the most valued
item from a journalist’s perspective. Without it, we might as well
stop working because we could produce an excellent piece but it will have no
impact if the public doesn't trust us. So how do we gain their trust? Be
transparent. Let them see every move we are making and explain why we are doing
so. One of my professors always said, "Tell me how you feel and explain
why you feel that way." He believes the "why" was the most
important part. If we can't provide a valid reason, it's pointless.
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