Journalistic Responsibility

Will Heflinger

wh617717@ohio.edu

There have been many instances where journalists have been irresponsible when publishing their stories. These journalists could plagiarize their stories from other news sources, or they could just flat out lie about what they are reporting on. No matter what they are doing, it is a practice that should not be tolerated.

In one instance of an irresponsible journalist, former USA Today writer, Jack Kelley, was caught plagiarizing and lying about multiple stories. Kelley would go as far as to hire friends to act as eyewitnesses or translators to verify his story. When word spreads about journalists, like Kelley, is it any wonder why people do not trust journalists?

Photo via C-SPAN

In a recent poll conducted by Gallup, adults from the United States were asked, "In general, how much trust and confidence do you have in the mass media when it comes to reporting the news fully, accurately, and fairly?" When comparing the 2020 results to the 2019 results, there is an increase of adults who responded, "Not at all." Because of this, it is important that new and current journalists are taking responsibility in their reporting.

While there will be people who will never trust the mass media, there are people who are willing to trust the mass media, as long as there is a reason to. Being able to report accurately every time an article is published is one way to gain trust from the public. Another way is to fact check statements that are made before publishing. False statements that are easily disproven will make people distrust the mass media more and more.

The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) has a code of ethics that every journalist should follow. One of the main principles is that every journalist should be accountable and transparent. While being accountable for your work is important, no one is perfect. So, when mistakes are made, people should acknowledge their mistakes, take responsibility for the mistake, and make corrections as soon as possible.

In the case of Kelley, people began to notice that his stories were looking similar to other stories that were already published. To be responsible in a case like this, people should notify others, including the person who may be irresponsibly reporting, the possibility of unethical journalistic practices. 

When journalists begin taking responsibility for their work by fact checking statements, and reporting accurately, more and more people will begin to trust the mass media again.