hr443214@ohio.edu
A conflict of interest can arise in any media profession, most importantly public relations. A conflict of interest occurs when a professional has interests, either professional or personal, that come into conflict with another obligations.
These conflicts can range from public and private interests coming into question, outside employment conflicting with primary occupation, personal interests coming into play and professionals receiving compensation beyond salary.
A common conflict of interest within media is "checkbook journalism", which is the pact of paying for news. Rupert Murdoc, former editor of The Sun, holds a strong opinion on compensating for information.
"If the whistle-blower asks for money, so what," he said. "It's better that we know, for example, that our local hospital is killing its elderly patients through lack of care than have the Press ignore a nurse or an ambulance driver who is asking for payment for such information."
The Sun has been accused of systematically bribing police and government officials with thousands of pounds, Murdoch admitting to these claims.
In media ethics, the best way to handle these conflicts of interest is to avoid them. According to PRSA's take on conflict of interest, the core principle is "avoiding real, potential or perceived conflicts of interest builds the trust of clients, employers, and the publics."
Within the PRSA guidelines, it recommends to avoid actions and circumstances that may appear to compromise good business judgement or create a conflict between personal and professional interests. This rule can become controversial when it comes to paying or receiving compensation as a journalist.
Another common issue with conflicts of interest in journalism is "perks" that journalists might recieve when writing about a specific business or company.
A culprit of this is the music business, having issues with corruption since the 1950s.
"You shoulda been around when it was really flowing; cases of liquor at Christmas, lavish parties with hookers and drugs (I remember one Lady Sings the Blues affair in particular)," Joel Selvin, San Fransisco Chronicle critic, said.
Music journalists can frequently be found counting on free goods and perks, such as promotional copies of CDs and complimentary tickets. The question is, do these conflicts of interest compromise the critic?
Freelance writer Gina Arnold believes that it would not be practical to refuse these trips and meals.
"I don't really think we could be informed critics without those," she says.
The golden rule of journalism is to report and not get involved, something that can be compromised with accepting gifts, but also when reporting on murder.
Anna Song was a reporter for the KATU "coverage team" assigned to the story of two girls vanishing eight weeks apart. Their bodies discovered months latter, a televised memorial attracted large crowds– a video of the ceremony variable on the website of KATU-TV.
Song had interviewed one of the girls, Miranda, at a bus stop about her friend Ashley's disappearance shortly before Miranda herself disappeared.
Song presented a eulogy at the memorial that was praised by those in attendance, but this eulogy conflicted with her participation in the news coverage. This involvement with the personal lives of the girls blurred the lines of news media and newsmakers in television.
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| Conflict of interest Source: Young Tribune |
These conflicts can range from public and private interests coming into question, outside employment conflicting with primary occupation, personal interests coming into play and professionals receiving compensation beyond salary.
A common conflict of interest within media is "checkbook journalism", which is the pact of paying for news. Rupert Murdoc, former editor of The Sun, holds a strong opinion on compensating for information.
"If the whistle-blower asks for money, so what," he said. "It's better that we know, for example, that our local hospital is killing its elderly patients through lack of care than have the Press ignore a nurse or an ambulance driver who is asking for payment for such information."
The Sun has been accused of systematically bribing police and government officials with thousands of pounds, Murdoch admitting to these claims.
In media ethics, the best way to handle these conflicts of interest is to avoid them. According to PRSA's take on conflict of interest, the core principle is "avoiding real, potential or perceived conflicts of interest builds the trust of clients, employers, and the publics."
Within the PRSA guidelines, it recommends to avoid actions and circumstances that may appear to compromise good business judgement or create a conflict between personal and professional interests. This rule can become controversial when it comes to paying or receiving compensation as a journalist.
Another common issue with conflicts of interest in journalism is "perks" that journalists might recieve when writing about a specific business or company.
A culprit of this is the music business, having issues with corruption since the 1950s.
"You shoulda been around when it was really flowing; cases of liquor at Christmas, lavish parties with hookers and drugs (I remember one Lady Sings the Blues affair in particular)," Joel Selvin, San Fransisco Chronicle critic, said.
Music journalists can frequently be found counting on free goods and perks, such as promotional copies of CDs and complimentary tickets. The question is, do these conflicts of interest compromise the critic?
Freelance writer Gina Arnold believes that it would not be practical to refuse these trips and meals.
"I don't really think we could be informed critics without those," she says.
The golden rule of journalism is to report and not get involved, something that can be compromised with accepting gifts, but also when reporting on murder.
Anna Song was a reporter for the KATU "coverage team" assigned to the story of two girls vanishing eight weeks apart. Their bodies discovered months latter, a televised memorial attracted large crowds– a video of the ceremony variable on the website of KATU-TV.
Song had interviewed one of the girls, Miranda, at a bus stop about her friend Ashley's disappearance shortly before Miranda herself disappeared.
Song presented a eulogy at the memorial that was praised by those in attendance, but this eulogy conflicted with her participation in the news coverage. This involvement with the personal lives of the girls blurred the lines of news media and newsmakers in television.
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