hh953711@ohio.edu
In today's competitive journalistic environment, conflicts of interest between news outlets and their subjects are often commonplace. While most organizations have an established ethical code, these codes are not enforced or mandatory. This makes it easier and more justifiable for journalists to not follow these guidelines which only compromises their journalistic integrity and credibility.
To write or report a story in which one has personal interest or involvement is risky. In "A Journalist Breaks the Golden Rule," a reporter, Anna Song, was accused of crossing the line when she said a eulogy at the memorial of the victims of a case she was writing about. Before she spoke, Song acknowledged that she was breaking this tradition, this "golden rule." This particular circumstance exemplifies just how murky the water is when it comes to the topic of conflict of interest. Was saying some earnest, dignified words on behalf of a family who lost loved ones really such a terrible thing? While it is a conflict of interest, it seemed like a separate situation from her reporting. There are worse examples of conflict of interest, and I don't think this particular situation was as condemnable as the article insinuates.
A more concerning conflict of interest in this circumstance would be if the reporter was already a close family friend of the victims whose bodies were discovered. I think those types of conflicts are more questionable and ill-advised. Being close to the brink of friendship with the subject of one's report or story is where conflicts of interest are strongest and most detrimental.
In the cases of music journalists and the like, this is especially dangerous. Journalists who are offered certain "perks" from their subjects (whether actors, singers, athletes, etc.) need to tread carefully to not cross the professional boundary. Accepting these perks affects the subject-reporter relationship. Even allowing one's subject to pay for a meal affects the journalist's credibility. If it becomes known the subject of one's writings "treats" the journalist, then the audience no longer believes that journalist to report accurately and without bias. Their credibility becomes tarnished. In extreme cases, it could be perceived that the interviewee is paying the reporter for a story that most befits them. This conflict of interest has now entered checkbook journalism territory.
A reporter needs to train him or herself to avoid these sticky situations of conflict of interest. A similar situation occurs when a journalist covers a story that appeals too much to the reporter to the point where the feature becomes an advertisement instead of a news piece. It is certainly important to be invested in the story in which one is reporting, but this becomes a slippery slope that leads to conflict of interest.
It is difficult for journalists in today's society to maintain this distance, this clear boundary between themselves and their subject since there are a plethora of outside factors that affect the situation, but a journalist's credibility is the most important. One cannot hope to be successful if they allow their journalistic integrity to suffer because they could not avoid the murky water that is conflict of interest.
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