Being a journalist can be very tricky, and getting into a sticky situation can be easier than you think from just making the slightest mistake. One of the most common ways to find yourself in a situation like that is by conflict of interest. A conflict of interest in journalism arises when someone who is expected to act impartially has a personal stake in an issue. Conflict of interest is not only in journalism but is also intertwined with public relations as well. In fact, any form of media engagement with an outlet of some source can lead to conflict.
Reporter vs. Outsider
Well known interest of conflicts in journalism is between a reporter or journalist and the person or persons of interest for a story. We saw this type of situation with reporter, Anna Song. Sadly, even though Anna Song's eulogy and words for the two young girls were compassionate and true, as a reporter she crossed the line. Making sure you do not cross that line of journalism by participating in a story you are supposed to be observing only as a reporter, and not as an outsider is crucial. This is where journalists' values, opinions and feelings can get tangled up in work life. As journalist you have to make sure you avoid conflict and over-involvement at all costs. As a journalist from Teen Vogue, Mukhopadhyay, once said “We all know none of these stories are black and white. Despite what your opinion is, if you are ruled by your opinion, that is not real reporting.” So no matter what your stance is, make sure you are doing your job only and following the codes that all journalist should so they do not end up in conflict.
Act Independently
To avoid conflict of interest as a whole, the main thing to remember is to not be biased. No matter what your opinion is you have to stick to the code of ethics which tell you biases are not allowed in many ways. In fact, the most important thing about journalism and emphasized by various code of ethics, is to act independently. In the Society of Professional Journalists they say to do that you have to remember that The highest and primary obligation of ethical journalism is to serve the public.
If you uphold that code then being biased and involved in conflict because of that will never arise. That does not just mean keep your opinion to yourself on stories, but furthermore also gets into the importance of setting boundaries and following them. A conflict of interest occurs greatly because of crossing the line when having an opinion or wanting to talk on the story and not just report it. But conflict of interest can also easily be don't by accepting gifts, offering exchanges and resisting pressure to influence coverage. This can all be found simply in the codes of ethics.
Avoiding Conflict
Understandably, avoiding conflict of interest is not always easy and following every single rule in the code of ethics fully can be hard. To help journalist and public relation workers do better there are topics or choices that can be thought of before doing a story or making a decision on one. These thoughts to have before include, not accepting "freebies", not donating to certain groups, no political activity, not covering loved ones and avoid financial conflicts. We have to remember that just because a conflict of interest is still an ethical problem even if nobody misbehaves and nobody means any harm. Journalists do not just owe it to themselves to uphold these values but they owe it to the public.
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