What Journalists Should Do

Rachel Danner
rd725312@ohio.edu

What should journalists do? I picture myself asking this question to random people on the street after they pick up the New York Times or USA Today. The answers would be simple: "Report the news," "Tell stories." In reality, the job of journalists goes way deeper than just "writing the news." Journalism is the only profession protected by the Constitution, but that doesn't entail totally free speech. Journalists have a specific code of ethics they need to follow in order to remain honest and unbiased in all of their reports.

Photo featured with PRSSA's code of ethics, reminding journalists that September is Ethics Awareness Month

Seek Truth and Report It

With the advancements that journalism and the media have made in the past couple of years, it is easy for journalists to lose sight of what their job really is: to report. Many argue that journalism today isn't as honest as it should be. They say that there are two reasons for this: the pull of money and the desire to be the first to "break the news." Journalists should report their stories without bias and only after checking all facts and confirming with all sources before publishing as to avoid any harm or misrepresentation in stories.

Minimize Harm

Journalists represent the public as a whole and should approach all topics with sensitivity. The goal of journalism is not to exploit or defend anybody, but to report the news exactly how it happened without opinions. A Journalist's responsibility is to all readers, so they should take caution to avoid harming any one reader or group of readers.

Act Independently

This is especially true in this age, when ads have a tendency to dominate the media market. Sponsored content has become a recent trend, but can create news that is swayed or biased. I'm not saying sponsored content is bad, but a journalist should take special precautions to avoid any bias or conflict of interest that sponsoring an ad may create. This also holds true for reporting the truth on those in power. Again, a journalist's responsibility is to the public, its readers, and should remain so.

Be Accountable

In my opinion, one of the best parts of journalism is that the public can engage and directly influence the profession. Journalists should not avoid publishing corrections or letters to the editor. This helps establish a sense of trust with the readers and sources. A journalist should admit all mistakes and be open to all criticism. They should also make the public aware of all mistakes, especially unethical, discovered of any publication.

The State of the News Media 2014 shows a clear shift to digital journalism, but that doesn't mean that the ethics of journalism should change. Content should remain the same, despite the pressure from money or the desire to be the first to break the news. It is my hope that if more journalists become aware of this Code of Ethics and follow it closely we can establish a better sense of trust between the media and the public.