Ethical Differences in Journalism

Emily Beekman
eb491810@ohio.edu

Values of Online Journalism

The article titled “Fundamental Values” posed interesting points. What has online journalism done for the world of traditional journalism? Journalists have always valued speed and transparency, but has online journalism undermined those journalistic values?  

It has become a noticeable problem that with speed becoming the main focus, online reporting may skip a few steps in the verification of sources process. This article explains further a few of the negatives that come from the values of online journalism. False information has more potential of making its appearance onto the web, especially in the form of social media. Because social media and event trends are not limited to confirmed news sources, information provided by “regular Joes” can easily be mistaken as reliable breaking news information. 

Who Qualifies as an Online Journalist?

The New York Times reported on a circumstance when a blogger did not qualify as ‘media," but the Times defended that this is also not always the case. I agree that bloggers can be identified as qualified journalists, but to achieve this, I think they must gain credibility and recognition.

Anyone can create an account and blog about a controversial social issue, but does this make them a journalist? Not necessarily. Are there credible sources? Is the information relevant? These are the points to consider when you stumble upon this blog post and decide to use it as a source or reference.  

Source: New Media Research Studio SP2

Ethical Point of View

Today, there are hundreds of outlets to share news through, which also provide hundreds of ways for the ethics of modern journalism to be tested.  Many believe that these online ethics can more easily push ethical boundaries because online sources are more difficult to regulate than broadcast or print journalism. A blogger is less likely to be held to the same standards as someone reporting traditionally, perhaps because of the anonymity that may come with using online outlets to share opinions and information.

Another reason that digital media may test ethical standards is that those standards simply cannot keep up with the speed of online journalism. Ideas are shared very quickly in hopes of journalists being the first to report on a news story, so ethical standards are often put to the side, replaced by speed and the need to have the latest information released faster than others in the digital media world.