Conflicts of Interest in the Journalistic World

Alexandra White
aw946814@ohio.edu

Conflicts of interest are a major obstacle in the journalism world, in that they prevent journalists from doing a key part of their job: remaining objective.

As journalists, it is of the utmost importance that we are able to report the truth wholly and without bias. We are to report the truth in its entirety, so that our audiences are able to form opinions for themselves. We should never tell an audience what or how to think, unless we are writing an opinion piece. These pieces are always labeled as such, and should not seek to mislead our readers.

We must remain objective in order to remain honest and truthful.

More Money, More Problems: Bribery in Journalism

Image from World Atlas

Bribery plays a key role in journalists' conflicts of interest. But bribery is not on the part of the sources alone; it is a two-way street. While it is true that sources have bribed journalists to portray subjects in a particular light, or to spread specific information on a topic, journalists have also bribed their sources. 

By accepting money from their sources, journalists sell their ability to remain objective. Journalists feel obligated to follow-up on deals made with their sources. They then fail to report the truth. They no longer have the public's interest at heart, and instead seek to fulfill the source's wishes.

Remaining objective plays a crucial role in a journalist's ethical codes by which they must operate. Bribery is meant to sway opinions one way or the other, preventing a journalist from reporting the whole truth.

Objectivity Is Not On a Personal Agenda

Image from FCPA Compliance Report

A journalist's personal agenda convolutes objectivity. This concept is present throughout journalistic practices, be it if the journalist is writing a movie review, reporting on a sports team, or covering politics.

Many journalists who cover the entertainment beat are eager to please. They are even more eager when they are critiquing a friend's work. Journalists who cover the music industry would rather share a beer with band members than share hard-hitting opinions about the band's most recent album. As critics, they have an obligation to express their opinions about the work whether those opinions are praise or derisive critique.

Political journalists are often swayed due to their personal relationships as well. If a journalist is closely tied to the people whom they are writing about, be it through friendship, courtship, or even marriage. When reporters become emotionally attached to the people they are writing about, reporting what is truthful becomes more complicated. It is the organization and the audience's job to analyze the work closely to determine whether or not the relationships between journalists and their sources have convoluted the validity of the news stories.

Even sports journalists are at risk of violating these journalistic moral codes. When journalists work with jobs in the city, they may end up promoting sports teams in hopes that game revenue will assist in building infrastructure or improving roads for the city in which they work. Sports journalists have to redefine what is and is not acceptable in their line of work. It becomes a challenge for sports journalists to remain objective when they also have ulterior motives.