nu778414@ohio.edu
Photo Source: Mir Lyn; www.oxy.edu.
Rising journalists continue to face adversity; Social Media presents so much opportunity for new generations to create new content. On the other hand, information is thrown at journalists from all angles and whether to believe it or not is based on your morals and ethics.
What has changed and what hasn't:
The problem of old-school ethics vs new ethics has journalist confused as to what to focus on. Regardless of what changes, the truth is the number one rule as a journalist. You build up your reputation as a good, trustworthy, respectful journalist. Trusting your sources, honoring their privacy and earning their trust through solid reporting is how you earn your reputation.
Controversial Topics:
The idea of minimizing harm, while still doing our job is arguably the hardest part of our jobs. To inform and "Do our job" (Kant's Categorical Imperative), Mill's Theory of "Greatest good for the greater number of people" or Nel Noddings "Relational Ethics". To put it in perspective, if you were given the responsibility to run a news story about the 9/11 attacks and were given multiple photos to choose from, how would you decide which picture to publish? Or would you even post a picture at all?
Consequences:
When you do not go over the essentials of publishing an article, the cons outweigh the pros. In the Social Media world, you want to be the first to report the news; yet if take the extra step to confirm with your sources that all the information is accurate it can save you from trouble.
As journalists, our reputation is everything. We only get one chance to impress and keep your record clean. Failure to do so ruins our reputation and nothing can earn the trust of our viewers back.
Trust in 21st Century Journalism:
What is the major difference with technology in journalism? Freedom. Multiple outlets, many opinions and decisions to be made as the viewer. " With the dawn of the digital era, consumers have the opportunity to examine, question and critique the journalist,"(McBride and Rosenstiel. Pg 90).
40 years ago, newspapers were the dominant way to get information out to our readers. So why would more outlets be a bad situation? It gives the viewers the option to seek the information they wont. However, the boundaries of what is news and what is not is the reason for the trust issues.
Connection to the Community:
Who do you trust more, local or national news? ABC,CNN, FOX News, CBS are the top dogs; but the chances they focus on your town is only if catastrophic events happen. The relational factor helps the local news earn the trust of the cities and towns they cover. They can relate to them more because they are living there. The go to the same stores, your children may go to the same school, pay the same taxes; Their connection to the community gains viewers and earns their trust inside and outside of the newsroom.
Takeaways:
With all the technology impacting both journalists and viewers, the business has changed substantially. News comes from many sources, it is the discretion of the journalist to follow their ethical beliefs to increase and maintain their reputation. Regardless of how popular or well-credited you are, if you lose the trust of your viewers with slander, libel or false reporting, your career as a journalist will never be the same and it may be over.
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