Modern Media Ethics

Janie Dulaney
jd540914@ohio.edu

Without maybe even realizing it, most people probably have a personal code of ethics, these are the things that guide people through their day to day life, as they navigate through many decisions. Some decisions may be mundane, like whether to hit snooze on the alarm or wake up and start the day, others may be a little more serious. A more serious ethical decision could be deciding a line for yourself in your work or school environment; it would be really easy to look over at the quiz of the student sitting next to me... should I do it? Sometimes you do not even have to think about it, but you are constantly making decisions based on your thoughts, beliefs, and values; right and wrong. But what exactly is right and wrong when you are speaking about the workplace? When there are other people who could be impacted by your decision, is it still your decision at all?

Ethics in Journalism

In 2002, Bob Steele compiled a list of ten questions a journalist can ask to themselves when faced with an ethical decision. He highlights a couple I thought were relevant to topics faced in the modern scope of media ethics. A common question asked nowadays is how involved a journalist should be in the stories that they cover. Is it reasonable for a journalist covering devastating hurricane damage to remain neutral and unbiased? Or can they show humanity by placing them self in the story? Poynter recently discussed the ethical issues that were present in the coverage of Hurricane Katrina, and how things could be different with the coverage of Hurricane Harvey this year.

They spoke to Kathleen Bartzen Culver, who is the assistant professor and James E. Burgess Chair in Journalism Ethics and director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. After Katrina, there was much uproar concerning journalists reporting on unconfirmed rumors, and portraying minorities in a biased light in the storm's aftermath. The issue with Katrina was the magnitude of the hurricane, and the difficulty of getting accurate information in a timely manner- reporters were just running with any news they heard. Culver talked about how they had learned from the missteps while covering Katrina, now with most recent hurricanes like Harvey.  She recognizes the need to ask the correct questions, and questions that will get the factual and relevant information out to the public.

Steele's questions for ethical decisions could come into play here, helping journalists find out the relevant information, including number eight, "what are the possible consequences of my actions? Short term? Long-term?" If a news outlet captions a picture of a black man stating that he is looting but captions a related picture of a white man along the lines of "just looking for some bread" what are the long-term consequences of that?

Culver also spoke about the financial factors that go into covering a major storm like Harvey, and "when the business model of journalism is as fraught as the one we face today, ethics can become difficult because there aren't necessarily enough people on the ground doing the work before we can begin to question whether they're doing it responsibility." This brings up an interesting point about the ethics of a newspaper company, what exactly is the priority as far as sending people into areas affected by natural disasters? Is it worth it? This is something companies must decide as a whole because while it is the responsibility of the media to bring the coverage to the public, they also have to run their business. Where is the line?

Staying Up to Date on Ethics

While Steele's ten questions regarding ethical decisions is a great tool for modern journalists to use, it is important to keep up to date on the latest ethical news and issues. Just as journalists care to stay up to date on the latest breaking news updates from The New York Times, so should they monitor modern media ethics in this changing landscape. A website that could be particularly useful is iMediaEthics, a non-profit website that provides the latest of journalism ethics, including Political Reporting Ethics, and a running tab of apologies and retractions. Reading up about other media outlets stumbles and shortcomings can only help a journalist learn from their mistakes.

https://twitter.com/imediaethics