Tradition and the Internet -- Can they be friends?

Jaelynn Grisso 

jg764811@ohio.edu

Photo courtesy of Eris Stassi

Ethical guidelines are designed to give precedent to those in the media industry. The guidelines are intended to do just that--guide. However, it seems as though many of the concepts behind media ethics have slipped between the fingers of our frantic, typing hands. In fact, several guidelines that were present in guidelines from different organizations genuinely shocked me. For instance, a predominant ethic was to not allow the need to break the story to hinder accuracy. But in a world where Twitter can break a story in 140 characters and 30 seconds flat, it seems as if the battle between timeliness and accuracy is always favoring the former.

Online New Ethics

In broader terms, this concept of ethics within the online realm is perhaps the most interesting as it requires adaption. But what exactly do we as journalists need to adapt? What are the specific skills that need to be molded to fit an online platform? Where is the online, ethical line now drawn? Some would argue that there needs to be no change, as traditional journalistic practices will suffice for an online outlet as well as a print or broadcast outlet. However, this school of thought oversimplifies the nuances of journalistic ethics. It is easy to say, in broad, idealistic terms, that online journalism should be no different than classic journalism. But it is different. Journalists are now vying for the attention of online passersby with catchy headlines and quirky stories. Now news outlets are branded themselves in order to have a niche in their service area, which includes catering to specific audiences. Is this still maintain our old school journalistic ethics?

Sponsored Content

Another interesting ethical dilemma in the online journalism world is the debate over sponsored content. Many of those in favor of sponsored content believe it should be treated no differently than advertisements, so long as it is marked as sponsored content. On the other side of the argument stands the reasoning that it is not advertisement as sponsored content, by its nature, looks like editorial content. Therefore, discerning which content has been paid for and which has not is becoming increasingly difficult. And now, some have started creating ethics specific to sponsored content--as if sponsored content is now its own journalistic enterprise.

Now what?

In an industry that seems to have created a life of its own, the only measures journalists can take is to try to keep up. Media is no longer in the hands of only journalists. In many instances, it is the ethics of journalists create the distinction between those who are professions and those who are not. Although, if we have no tangible, realistic code of ethics, then the distinction may become moot.