Ethics in Journalism and Finding Balance

Alejandro Figueroa

af297616@ohio.edu

There is no denying that American news institutions —or any other news institutions in the world for that matter— are fast-paced, deadline tight industries that come with their own set of challenges and criticisms. 

It would be cynical to believe that reporters gather around the newsroom to plot their next false narrative as some people would have you believe. Yet, reporting in more contemporary times comes with its own set of issues.

Surveys indicate that the top two reasons the general population distrust news organizations are due to inaccuracy and bias. One would then agree that in order for the public to feel such displeasure with these organizations, the news industry itself would be guilty of partaking in bias and inaccuracy. But as noted in the latter, journalists —professional journalists that is— are not in the newsroom typing up inaccurate or misleading articles in order to create chaos and disorder.

Journalists aren’t perfect by any means either, and after all, we are human and we make mistakes. This is why reporters adhere to codes of ethics that aim to make their stories as accurate and transparent as they possibly can through reasonable means. By these standards, the reporter is to be held accountable to what they are writing about. So, at a time when journalists are more concerned with truth and accuracy, one has to question, where has news gone wrong?

(Image Source: News and Finally)

It could be argued that there has been a shift between reputable news towards sensationalism and infotainment news found on social media. But, if professional journalists strive to be ethical, to make choices that reflect reasoning, there would be a clear difference between what is essentially a false narrative and a well-researched news article. The problem could then be the flawed nature of the modern culture of communication.

According to the Ethical Journalism Network, the major perpetrators of this shift are the business models of major social media platforms such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter. The article explains that such platform algorithms disseminate information in a “value-free” nature with no difference in the distinction between high-quality news and information with inaccurate or malicious content.

As a result, it could then be argued that such platforms are the culprits to the issues news organization face, as well as the offenders of ethical inaction for not regulating their content. That could very well be a whole conversation in it of itself on how online data can be collected to target certain demographics with specific types of content. 

But, rather than finding blame among others, it is important to know what true journalism stands for. Of course, most importantly it is about the quest to seek the truth and report it, to be fair and honest. Some could find comfort in that, that at least there are some that truly care about what it means to ethically, that is, to make choices that reflect reason. Communication culture nowadays seems to be convoluted, and it doesn't necessarily have to be. In ethical reasoning, journalists stand a lot to gain from those who want a clear, accurate and truthful news organization. 

Truth be told, fake news and targeting algorithms probably won’t go away anytime soon. Ethics could be argued to be an ever-changing dilemma, but the truth is the equalizer, in finding truth, maybe we will find those who perpetuate fake narratives accountable for their actions, and once again restore trust to the news.