Community Journalists Held to Higher Ethical Standard

Anna Lippincott

al859011@ohio.edu

The idea of ethics in journalism expanded in recent years to include community as a facet, which is an extremely interesting concpet. Both the Revised RTDNA Ethics Guidelines and New Ethics of Journalism for the 21st Century mention the idea of different or more clearly outlined strucure for community journalists. Community journalism is its own structure--far separated from large-scale media because what happens in a community is much more intimate. It is very important for writers to abide by ethical principles because they directly affect people they know. 

Communities have their own ethical codes and standards because they operate on such a smaller scale with people who know each other on a more personal level. For example, if a journalist trespasses into a factory to obtain information from a story, in a small community, there is a huge chance the owner knows the journalist or has a close association to him. In larger scale presses, it is much easier to hide behind the print wall and be only a name in ink.

A journalist arrested in Ferguson 2014. Photo courtesy of PRwatch.org

Another significant facet of the community ethical code is to treat “community as an end, rather than a means to an end.” Sometimes while working in the community it is easy to get caught up in the drama and inerworkings of relationships and the governmental structure. Becoming too close to a community on a personal-only relationship and swaying from professionalism can be harmful. If a reporter becomes too comfortable with community members on the personal-professional level, it can make treating them as a community participant more difficult. What happens when a reporter’s favorite bar owner is caught performing a hit-and-run? It is up to a reporter to stay ethical and unbiased even when the subjects are close.

The last, and perhaps most important addition to the community journalism is the concept of accountability.

• ·      It is the responsibility of a journalist to come forward when he or she makes an error. Especially in a community setting, it is important to take the heat for wrongs because news travels quickly, and an error should not be put on someone else. Mistakes happen to everyone, but trust—especially from a close group—is much harder to regain.
• ·      It is the responsibility of a journalist to get his work done, to have valid sources, and to take pride in what he puts out. (It is important to note a community is not only in proximity, but also exist in other settings, for example trade communities like the hacker community mentioned in Stephen Glass' computer hacking fabrication "Hack Heaven") The people in a community rely on reporters to give them well-presented and well-thought out news stories. The stories reflect the citizens townspeople know, a neighbor or sister or friend, and journalists should always be putting their best feet forward. 

                           
                       

• ·      It is the responsibility of a journalist to keep the trust of his clients and sources. Part of accountability is holding up an individual’s end of a bargain, and if that means keeping a source anonymous, then it is the writer’s absolute duty to keep that source under wraps. One of the most detrimental things a writer can do in a small area is to lose the trust of its members.