Extra Rules, and Hold the Standards, Please.

Bianca Hillier
bh792112@ohio.edu

"Hi, yes, let's talk-- but we can't be friends."
Going out into the community, calling dozens of businesses and organizations, gathering interviews, talking to people of all different stature in the towns... without these things, a journalist could not possibly complete their daily tasks. Through all of these interactions, it seems only natural that one would begin to form relationships and bonds with people throughout the community. And often times, that's a good thing! Having trusted sources out in the field as well as being well-known as a trusted reporter are assets in the journalism industry. But what happens when the ties become a little too close, or the journalist ends up having to do a story on one of their friends in the community? Is it still ethical to do the story, even though you may have a different access level or viewpoint than another reporter doing the same story?

Photo from KCET.net

The quick and dry answer is no, it is not ethical to report on stories on which you even possibly might have a conflict of interest. There are many different reasons for this:

Photo from tellmewhytheworldisweird.blgospot.com

1. As a journalist with integrity, you should not want to put your name on content that might even have the possibility of breaking any of the codes of ethics. Think about the consequences that come along with it... your reputation is everything in journalism (including both within the industry and within the community), and people are not going to respond well to any of your future work if they can not trust you.
2. There is no reason to do it! There are plenty of stories every single day, even in the sleepiest towns. So, you think you HAVE to do this story because it is the biggest story of the week but your boyfriend just happens to be at the center of the cause? Wait until next week when an equally as attention-grabbing story breaks-- one without any conflicts of interest, that is.

That's not my name! *clap clap* That's not my name!

But what if you take away the rule-bearing title "journalist"... what difference does it make? What are you now allowed to do that you weren't previously ethically allowed to do?

Well, a lot.

Fashion bloggers, movie critics and food columnists often write for online or print publications about the next best item in their respective industry; these professionals are undoubtedly held to a different ethical standards than those who identify as journalists. This is primarily evident in the fact that much of their content is "sponsored content", as in companies pay them to write a rave review on their newest product. I am okay with this business model, as long as somewhere in the published piece there is a disclosure statement acknowledging what is going on. It does not need to be front and center, necessarily, but a notice in fine print would be only fair to the readers.

Photo from blindfiveyearold.com

This could easily be enforced by some type of "ethics code" for people who work in this industry. Call them advertisers, call them bloggers, call them business people or simply writers, but whatever you call them, they need to be held to some type of standard, just as journalists are. They are, anyway, providing the public with information that can be impactful on their lives and choices, and everyone in that kind of position should recognize and respect that responsibility.