ch960014@ohio.edu
http://www.thedroneinfo.com/2015/05/07/drone-journalism-is-it-a-first-amendment-right/
A major issue in the world of
journalism is how to balance your personal ethics with the ethics of the
company as you attempt to navigate through a career in this field. One of those
ethical issues that you may encounter along the way is commonly known as click
bait. A way to lure in readers with false or limited headline writing. Another dilemma
that you may encounter along the way is drone journalism. Which is a form of
journalism on the rise yet its ethical complication lay in the mass amount of
information they can provide.
Click bait is a form of headline writing that
alludes the reader to the information in the story while withholding major
themes in the piece. Using catchy headlines or inciting blurbs to lure readers
into your piece is ethically wrong and for most readers turns them away. According
to the SPJ codes, if you use click bait headlines it can be viewed as a lack of
transparency. This has been a recurring issue for a couple of years now.
Facebook a few years back in a Washington Post article even urged that they wanted to see less. If there are less click bait tactics
than users are more likely to see content they approve of and that is Facebook's
sole goal.
The other ethical dilemma that
you may encounter in the field as you take on your career is drone journalism.
Just when you think technology can’t control us more we receive ideas such as
drone journalism. The impact that this form could have is massive however,
there is a conflict that you could run into if implicated. The drones are able
to capture everything, but how much is too much? The Professional Society of
Drone Journalism has the answers for you. They claim it is the new wave of immersive journalism.
While that may be true the ethical conflict that privacy may be a stakeholder
in these pieces is too risky and therefore should be dealt with care.
So, whether it is
technological advances taking over or a new wave of headline writing,
journalists should always act with care when approaching such things. Just as
they would a piece of information for their news outlet they should investigate
the stakeholders in these new aged forms. By making sure that the advances in
the world of journalism maintain your company’s ethical standards and more
importantly your own you are saving yourself from selling out in a sense. A
journalist should be open to new things, but be wary of the ethical connections that may occur.
