A Journalist's Conflict

Hunter Graffice

hg551416@ohio.edu

In journalism, reporters must balance the need for a story and how they present it alongside their personal feelings and ideals. Basically, they must remain fair, but also attempt to get stories and convince sources without having their feelings or personal beliefs become involved. 

As the SPJ Codes of Ethics say, journalists should avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. That presents a challenge for journalists because a perceived conflict of interest could be them liking a tweet that leans left or right in politics. Yet, that needs to be weighed against the fact that they are an American citizen and have a right to free speech and an opinion in their government. 

Courtesy of Cleveland.com

Similarly, the PRSA Code of Ethics states that conflicts of interest should be avoided to help gain trust with audiences. However, as Twitter continues to grow, some companies are taking a different approach. It definitely depends on the company, but some journalists are free to share their political opinions on Twitter. They believe this is okay as long as it is not reflective in their reporting.

The problem is that it is incredibly easy for critics to say they are biased and that the bias will be infused into their stories. As Politico reported there is actually a bubble within the media. Media tends to be centered on the coastlines or in big cities, which happen to be some of the most left-leaning places in the entire country. It's easy to look at that and suggest that the media is a massive  "liberal machine" used to criticize and take down the president and his conspirers. That of course is not the case, yet we all have inherent biases--whether we want to admit them or not. No person is free of bias, but it's the ability to be transparent and fair that helps counteract those biases. 

Courtesy of https://henrykotula.com/2017/01/21/hidden-conflicts-of-interest-found-throughout-medicine/

One of the biggest issues is whether to accept gifts or benefits for reporting a story a certain way. I believe the gifts are okay as long as they're not demanded and as long as the journalist maintains a fair attitude that doesn't let the benefits cloud their judgment. Of course, that's not always an easy task, but as long as the journalist remains committed to their core beliefs and ethics, they should be able to balance the intrusive influences and still write the story fairly.

As the journalism continues to shift and evolve, it seems like authenticity and transparency are what audiences seek from journalists. This could mean an increasingly opinionated press, depending on the publication and their goals/policies. I believe that it could work well as long as the journalists remain dedicated to their story and their reporting. Also, they would need to remain fair and balanced to all aspects of an issue. Their opinion could not be shared for every story, but I think that a journalist has a responsibility to themselves to not violate their own morals and ethics. I believe that if journalists are able to share their opinions and follow their own code of ethics and continue to be transparent about every decision they make, it could signal a shift in news reporting and be an interesting change for the industry.