Trans-CARE-ency

Julia Gogol
jg152015@ohio.edu

We've all heard the expression "sharing is caring."  Well, in the world of journalism, being transparent with your readers is how you show you care.

We know "fake news" is dominating headlines in today's society, but how do we counteract that?  How do we show that our work is believable and our work isn't fake?  I say we start by learning from people and companies that have maybe missed the mark on the whole "transparency" thing.

Take, for example, an article by Ad Age detailing the blatant lack of transparency by popular chain restaurant, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).  The whole scandal is summed up pretty nicely in my new favorite quote, "...that sort of dishonesty is just so pathetic."

How was it not obvious to KFC that donating a percentage of each bucket sold of fried chicken to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was in bad taste?  During their brainstorming session, did it occur to no one that, hey, maybe we shouldn't entice people to buy our greasy chicken by bribing them with cancer donations?  The whole situation seems pretty surreal to me.

Not only is being transparent with your readers common sense, but it is in the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics.  "Ethical journalism means taking responsibility for one’s work and explaining one’s decisions to the public."  So it isn't just a choice to be transparent, it's a code we as journalists should live by and adhere to by all means possible.

But does the public really care about transparency issues in journalism?  Let's take a look at the graph below showing KFC's sales:

Courtesy of Statista

KFC and Susan G. Komen declared their partnership in 2010.  While sales did dip during this time, the change was only slight from how the restaurant had been performing in the previous years.  People love to complain about issues they see in the media, but are they letting it affect their lives and decisions?  At least in the case of fried chicken, the answer is no.

So people will continue to buy KFC whether the restaurant is manipulative or not, but as soon as the president declares the media the "enemy of the people," they are all too willing to denounce CNN and the New York Times.  Media outlets such as these have worked long and hard to build the trust of society, and we let one man in an unfortunately high position of power tear them down.

No, I'm not trying to say journalists are perfect or that none of them have ever been in a scandal themselves (I'm looking at you, Jayson Blair), but journalists place a great value on transparency, and most of us try to stay true to it.

The thing is, as time goes on, people forget scandals and distrust.  Take KFC for example.  In 2017, their sales hit a huge peak.  And I'm sure once the United States gets a new president, "enemies of the people" and "fake news" will become a nearly-laughable memory.

We the people have a crowd mentality.  We love joining in and especially complaining about trending topics.  In the end, all we as journalists can do is be transparent as possible, acknowledge our mistakes, and move on.  That's how we show we care.