A New Age Brings a New Era of Journalism

Courtney Smith,
cs340114@ohio.edu

There is no arguing that we are in the digital age. We, as a society, are consumed by the new technologies of our ever-changing world. While we propel into the future with advancements in mostly everything, journalism and the production of news has come into question. In an environment that is changing so quickly, what media ethics do we look to in order to guide us?

Ethics in the Media

In the assigned reading, the author described that we are stuck between two polar opposites. On one hand, journalists wonder if we should hold on to traditional media ethics and resist progress. On the other hand, journalists think it could be best to move forward with a new set of media ethics in order to keep up with the progressive world surrounding them.

Ethical Guidelines

The new set of Guiding Principles for Journalism proposed in the reading suggest guidelines that embody the core values of journalism with the values of the digital age. These guidelines are to seek truth and report it as fully as possible, to be transparent, and to engage the community as an end, rather than a mean. These are not far from the original list that stated journalists should seek truth and report it as fully as possible, to act independently, and to minimize harm.

Of these guidelines, old and new, truth remains the greatest value for journalists to hold. As stated in the reading, "Seeking and reporting truth is the primary function of journalism". This is such an important role for journalists to play because it increases the public's trust. As we have discussed heavily in class, trust in the media is declining so journalists have a crucial job to deliver the truth to the public.

Fake News

During the 20th century, while journalists were troubled with public trust, transparency was often brought up. In today's society, this remains an issue. More often than not, readers and viewers alike are questioning the validity of the news they are consuming. Allegations of "fake news" arise in the media so often that it seems like the norm.

Photo retreived online from infowars.com

Part two of the reading focused on making transparency a habit, rather than a chore. A quote that I found compelling from this section stated, "Among journalists and news outlets committed to independence, there is a mandate to speak with authority in order to cut through the noise and serve the public. Independence does not imply ambiguity when it comes to discerning truth".

This quote stood out to me because it is our job as journalists to serve the public above all. As we discussed in class, we are expected to abide by the greatest good for the greatest amount of people. This can become troubling for journalists while they are cutting through the commotion news outlets sometimes create.

In Summary

It is crucial that we, as journalists, are holding ourselves to a high standard in regards to following media ethics. We must be held responsible and accountable for the news we are giving to the public. Without ethics in journalism, news would head in the completely wrong direction.