Digital Media Ethics

Jena Catalano

jenacatalano@gmail.com

As the Moral Reasoning for Journalists states, we need a communication system that can inform the public, investigate government, challenge orthodoxy, and facilitate debate. Steven Knowlton and Bill Reader explain that journalism is more like a traditional craft; however, the responsibility and ethical duties we are receiving today seem to be failing our society. For this reason alone, journalists should be more concerned with their moral ethics rather than just following the traditional rules. The SPJ Code of Ethics is present for this exact reason. The SPJ Code of Ethics is a statement of abiding principles, supported by explanations and position papers that address changing journalistic practices. It is a guide that allows a journalist to take responsibility and have moral regard. However, some journalists can lose touch with these guidelines, and we have been noticing this through the media. 

 

                                                                        

                                                     Picture source: The Dallas Morning News 

    The Moral Reasoning for Journalists states that ethics and telling the truth allow society to function, and today more than ever, we need to have trust in our news sources. We have a global pandemic occurring, the Earth is suffering from fires and tropical storms, and we are in the middle of an enormous presidential election. However, we are still seeing journalists and reporters lose touch with their moral media ethics, and somehow as a society, we are allowing it on our digital platforms.

    We can see this distancing through the use of social media. Social media and mainstream news organizations can share on their widespread platform firsthand news and information. The Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison posted an article explaining the new world of online journalism and digital media ethics. Author Stephen J.A. Ward explains we are moving towards a mixed new media – a news media citizen and professional journalism across many media platforms. This original mixed news media requires new hybrid media ethics – guidelines that apply to amateur and professional no matter what platform they are on. He believes media ethics in our society need to be rethought and reinvented for today's media, not of yesteryear's. 

    The endless cycle of constant news makes the world of 'fake news' even more lethal. This comes as a shock when these trusted journalists have such a massive following. Ryan Guerrero explains many news organizations and media companies encourage reporters to use social media to gather information and create a "brand" for themselves. However, online comments, tweets, or posts can put a reporter in the negative spotlight. He continues to explain that the ethical challenge is to develop social media guidelines that allow reporters to explore the new digital media world while still having limits. How did our news channels forget the code of ethics, and why are they not getting reprimanded for it?