Journalism and ethics codes

Madeline Butina
mb978716@ohio.edu

Explain to just about any elder relative (particularly those age 45 and above) you are studying journalism and politics at college and listen as a version of the same monologue unfolds before you.

"Journalism and politics, eh? What a combo!"

"Ha! That's a hot topic! Fake news!"

"Betcha love listening to all this political chatter about the media!" (Typically followed by chortling.)

by Nate Beeler. Columbus Dispatch. Washingtonpost.com 2019

The reason this news is met with such skepticism is because there is a national debate taking place about journalists and what they ethically *should* and *should not* do, as well as standards they *are* and *are not* upholding.

Journalism ethics, though some may say is an oxymoron, is an exhausted topic within the media community. It can be argued that in a political climate that is so eager to condemn journalists as liars and sensationalists, media companies are trying harder than ever to maintain credibility and report as ethically as possible.

But what is "as ethically as possible?" Who determines how best to cover suicides and corruption schemes?

The short answer is that journalists themselves determine what is ethically acceptable. In an effort to combat the media's reputation, many organizations are producing their own set of concrete ethical standards to demonstrate reporters are taking criticism seriously.

This may seem like a caveat — journalists are playing by their own rules. However, what matters is that the standards that are set in place are indeed ethical. To determine this, delving into what exactly ethics is is important.

Some philosophical perspectives on ethics, like teleology, focus on the outcomes. Teleology takes into account the results of any decision: which choice may produce the best outcome for the greatest number of people?

Deontology, on the other hand, argues that the motives behind choices are what are important, regardless of the potential outcome. This philosophy comes from religious rules: what is morally allowed and not allowed.

Teleology may argue that (hypothetically speaking, of course) running a story about how the president is secretly a lizard person with vast militaristic superpowers would be unethical because if revealed, people could be killed by the militant lizard person.

However, deontology may determine that running the story would be ethical because the public would deserve to know the true identity of their leader, even if the people may face lethal consequences of that knowledge. They "would deserve to know" because remaining ignorant would allow for deception, an unethical concept.

Most media platforms' codes of ethics seem to incorporate deontology more. A shared theme among many codes, specifically found in the Society of Professional Journalists's code, is to seek truth and report it. Essentially, most organizations believe that when dealing with controversial topics, the best method of approach is to disseminate the information because the media exists to educate.

To be sure, the media and ethics are two terms discussed together. Though individuals may have varied feelings on if the media is ethical, there is no question that journalists are trying to be through their codes and philosophies.