Is There an Ethical Enforcement of Ethics?

By Isaiah Lyle, il749817@ohio.edu

Journalists have long been tasked with providing the public with honest and fair information about the people and topics that affect their lives.

That's a lot of responsibility to be on one person's shoulders. Having to research topics from all angles, double and triple-checking facts, and quotes. To help, many journalists follow a code of ethics, personal or from an organization they work for or are a part of. 

Every journalist has an ethics code, from hard news to magazine features. Many follow the same principles: always report the truth, be transparent, and be accountable for your actions.

Another prevalent feature is not enforcing these principles strictly to preserve free speech.

The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) has stated, "We do not have a mechanism for investigating complaints or enforcing discipline on SPJ members, much less other journalists." (spj.org) 

If there is no way of holding journalists accountable to those above them, then the other option is the court of public opinion. And how the public consumes and considers the news has changed over the years. 

According to the Pew Research Center, surveys taken in March 2021 show that the public trusts the news media less, especially among the 18-29-year-old demographic. pewresearch.org. 

With the new generation calling journalists and their work into question more and more, and the for-profit business model many news outlets run, it becomes easier for writers to write about what will appease the masses rather than what's authentic and ethical.

There is merit to the argument made by SPJ and others that not enforcing a code protects free speech. Of course, if you weren't worried about being in trouble, it would allow freedom to write whatever. But, at the same time, no fear of reprimand gives a writer that same freedom to work and write with their interests in mind, rather than the public's right to information or the journalism industry.

(2016 graph showing student journalists and professional journalists ranking journalism functions. Created by: Coleman, Lee, Meader, Yaschur, researchgate.net/publication)

The graph above provides context on what the next generation of journalists think they should do with their future employment, and it tells the story of changing tides. With the idea of being a populist mobilizer taking an 18 point jump between generations of journalists, one can see how what the public thinks is becoming a bigger deal in the field.

Just as everything with ethics is, it's all about a balance, and there should be a balance between no enforcement and strict enforcement when it comes to codes of ethics. It's hard to want people to be accountable, transparent and speaking the truth if there's no one holding you to it.