Truth Matters! Morals that Journalists Should Live By

Hannah Ellinger - he979415@ohio.edu

Being a truthful and moral journalist matters more now than it has ever before. With the rapid rise of “fake news” and yellow journalism, consumers are having more and more issues trusting even their favorite media publications. Modern day journalists need to take extra precautions to ensure that they are posting the most unbiased and truthful content. 

In 2018, the majority of Americans believed that most mainstream news outlets produced inaccurate reports. This perception isn’t only occurring in America; worldwide the media is considered to be untrustworthy. In order to create the most truthful content, writers must double check their sources, fact check, and heavily research the details of the story. 

If an honest mistake is made in a published article, it is important that the publication itself or the individual journalist release the correct information and apologize for the oversight. Any media that is found to be purposely inaccurate or biased can be taken down and the writer or publisher can be punished. Inaccurate or bias content can discredit a writer or an entire publication, causing consumers to distrust the news outlet in the future. This is why it is so important to thoroughly comb through your final drafts before publishing. 

Surveys conducted in 2019 show that the public's distrust in the media has grown substantially in the past few years, matching the previous high record for media distrust. But how can we as journalists combat this record-level distrust in news media? The golden rule of journalism is to “seek the truth and report it,” but too many journalists and large news publications are straying from this concept. 

(Image Source: Edelman Trust Barometer)

Too often headlines and news articles are sensationalizing and exaggerating the events and facts of a story, in order to get more attention from consumers. While this may increase revenue short term, in the long run this will give the publication a bad reputation for inflating the truth and consumers will likely seek out other news media outlets in the future. 

In the end, the best way to create a loyal audience and encourage consumers to keep coming back to your publication is to continue to publish accurate and unbiased information. There is no excuse for poor journalistic work; journalists have a responsibility to readers to ensure that they are providing the truth to the best of their ability. Readers like transparency and don’t want to feel like they are being lied to. Everyone makes mistakes, but journalists have a responsibility to own up to and correct them.