Less Shade Room, More Ethics

Kaylah Oliver
ko004316@ohio.edu


Nowadays in journalism, journalists want a big story that will get views or attention without making sure that the news they are giving out is factual. There are so many companies and brands wanting the ratings or views but not the truth. This is what many so called journalists carry out to the people, stories that hold fake news, gossip. Like every business you want your goals to be met and numbers to increase. But the real question here is does that lack of truth and being unethical worth your credibility.

Don't Be Shady, Be Credible 

This is The Shade Room's logo used for all their media and posts.
A popular and known news page but not built on disclosure.
https://theshaderoom.com

If you are not familiar with this company yet, I am sure you will be. A huge brand big on news through social media these days is "The Shade Room." This brand is known for reporting and sharing all the news that occurs daily around us. They cover topics ranging from political debates to what celebrity wore the dress better. The Shade Room gets thousands to millions of views and likes each day but as a lot of people also know is that this company is not always reliable. Their credibility is questioned daily, and the thirst for a story to get out has proven to be way more important than getting the actual facts out to people.

This is a good example of why disclosure is so important. Disclosure is the intentional release of information to facilitate transparency, openness, access and accountability. This is huge in the business of journalism gearing to public relations, thus that is in the PRSA, Ethical Standards Advisory. Journalism and the news should be created to help the people make the right decisions and have the truth about the world around them. How are they supposed to make that right decision or know something is correct if the news they are even reading is false itself.  

Public Relations Holds A Public Duty

With all this being said, public relations is not an easy job to do all the time. When putting a story out your company and bosses want it to release fast, pop and appeal to the people. Some bosses want that to happen no matter what the sacrifice is and sometimes that will risk your credibility. This is where public relations and ethics can get messy because you do not want to go against those in higher authority than you. But being the "yes man" is not going to make you a winner either. Discussed by Baylor University, being pushed and becoming the "yes man" can actually stunt your growth in public relations. Some people lose their jobs standing up for their code of ethics while others get respected more for doing so. One quote taken from a student that stuck out to me though was that "yes man' has no value, no value whatsoever in PR. Another said one reason for her good relationship with her company CEO is that 'he can count on me to not always agree with him."  Either way your credentials and code of ethics within the field of public relations is what is going to have you keep soaring.

In the end public relations and journalism is all about your credibility, access and being authentic. We want to continue to make sure to always put those values first. Make sure we follow ethics while also giving great news, being transparent and telling the truth. That is the only way to be informative, open, creditable and having disclosure in this field. Get ready for a competition between media outlets and truth, but be more ready to be a great public relation journalist and not just another uncredited blogger typing for The Shade Room. We need less Shade Room and more ethics!