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There have been ongoing conversations about ethics in the news media for decades. Many professionals and viewers question whether the SPJ Code of Ethics should remain a voluntary choice for publishers and journalists to adhere to, or rather, become guidelines that can be held under the law. On one end of the spectrum, many journalists understand how important their research, reporting, and publishing or broadcasting of information is to the public (especially in the digital age). These journalists argue that these ethical standards should be enforced under law, in every newsroom. Though, the opposers of this view believe the ethical standards becoming the law will pose a threat to their First Amendment rights, restricting what they report on a daily basis.
After I had read the SPJ Code of Ethics, I was fascinated at the amount of times I had personally seen journalists and broadcasters violate these guidelines. "Why weren't they following the standards given to them?" I thought. As I analyzed these codes, I realized the first two codes were easy for me to identify examples for and place my own opinion behind.
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The First Code- Seek Truth and Report It.
Under this code, it has been listed that journalists should "Provide context. Take special care not to misrepresent or oversimplify in promoting, previewing or summarizing a story." As soon as I read this, I began thinking about how many times I have scrolled through my Twitter newsfeed, reading headlines misrepresenting minorities, mass murderers being mislabeled, or just reading generic and vaguely written headlines.
Using the case against Brock Turner as an example, I was able to understand the wrongdoings of many publications. After he had been charged with three felonies, there were various journalists who refused to label him as a sexual offender. In this case, Fox News KTVU 2 reports Brock Turner as a "Former Stanford swimming star," and alike, The Washington Post uses the phrase "All-American swimmer." I believe that they way the public reads these headlines only reinforces the thoughts we may create toward the event or persons involved. In which case, may also change our thought behavior while listening to the story.
The Second Code- Minimize Harm
This code states that journalists should, "Recognize that legal access to information differs from an ethical justification to publish or broadcast." As I read this, I began to think about the tragedy that struck our country on September 11, 2001. There were many moments caught on camera, including the infamous "Falling Man" photographed by Richard Drew. The image was played on national television and printed in newspapers around the nation, which created many controversial standpoints among professionals in the news field and viewers around the world.
Some viewers believed it was an invasion of privacy to publicly show a man falling to his death during a tragic event. They believed it was too graphic and vivid for the world to see, so soon after the event occurred. Others believe it is the journalists duty to report these types of events, in order for the public to be aware of what truly happened that day. Although photographs of this tragedy, especially the Falling Man photograph, are saddening and heart wrenching for myself to see, I believe it is the journalists duty to report to their fullest extent. I do not agree with any investigations into the man that happened after the photo was released, but I do think the public had the right to see what was captured that day.
Moving Forward
Everyday I see journalists and broadcasters oversimplifying, exaggerating, and misrepresenting information they have gathered. Although we are all human, there are serious repercussions at stake for mistakes in reporting, especially in our current political and social world. I believe that there has to be more effort put into addressing and informing the public on the SPJ Code of Ethics. There needs to be efforts made in advocating education on the SPJ Code of Ethics amongst the public, which will then result in an increase in accountability for journalists. Hanging the SPJ Code of Ethics in a newsroom is not enough, there needs to be social campaigns and activism around supporting ethical behavior in our newsrooms. I believe the first steps will always be educating the public, sooner rather than later.
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