Ethical Journalism: Regaining Public Trust

Shelby Campbell
sc568816@ohio.edu

Although public distrust in the media only continues to increase, journalists are forced to constantly assess how they report information.

The distrust in media comes not from the information that is reported, but rather the decision about how to report it. That creates a dilemma for journalists. Ethics is subjective, and publishing sensitive or damning information about an individual could potentially have negative consequences.

A personal code of ethics is important for a journalist. To create a press that will protect people from higher powers, such as government and corporations, each journalist must subscribe to a code of ethics that will hold those institutions accountable.

In a New York Times opinion piece, journalist Marshall Allen details his relationship with journalism and his Christian faith.  Allen's deep involvement with his religion, but he refutes those criticisms with biblical evidence that journalistic integrity follows the teachings of the Bible.

A code of ethics does not need to have a universal foundation for all journalists. Ethics in journalism does, however, need to share basic fundamental values to establish public trust in the media.

Why does the public distrust the media?

Despite journalists' dedication to accurate and ethical reporting, 41 percent of Americans do not trust the media, according to a Gallup poll. That could, in part, be affected by President Donald Trump's attacks on the media.

The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2017

Politicians have often attacked the media when in the midst of political scandal. Along with Trump, former presidents Thomas Jefferson, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton have also condemned the media when their actions were scrutinized, according to a report by The Associated Press.

Although criticizing the media is not a new tactic, Trump still swayed the American public's trust in the media. In a 2016 Gallup poll, only 32 percent of Americans — a record low — trusted the media for fair and accurate reporting.  

Courtesy of News.Gallup.com

Trump's rhetoric toward the media swayed public opinion, but social media has just as much of an impact on the public's faith in the free press. According to a Pew Research Center report, almost 40 percent of American adults find their news from an online source. 

Despite the large percentage of the population who find their news via social media, Americans still tend to be critical of news from social media, according to a 2018 Gallup poll.

How can journalists combat low public trust?

If the goal is for journalists to be fair and accurate, they must define those terms. Trust is a direct result of complete transparency.

Margaret Sullivan, media blogger for The Washington Post, published an article detailing the process for using anonymous sources. That type of article that explains the process and credibility behind using those sources, quoting highly respected members of the media to clarify that the process is extremely thorough. Although it may not be ideal for a news source to use anonymous sources, publishing the article explaining how and why journalists use them creates an understanding among readers.

It is vital that a reader understands the ethical decisions behind journalism. The public distrust in media is dangerous in a society in which the freedom of the press is essential to democracy.