The Necessity Behind Ethics in Journalism

Kendall Kraft

kk922418@ohio.edu

Every single day a person reads or listens to a journalist one way or another. In addition, journalists have a crucial job of providing news and entertainment to viewers. So it only makes sense to have a code of ethics in such a necessary job.

The Honest Truth

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of a journalist's work is being truthful. The content itself and how a journalist gathered and reported on the information. To be accurate is a core code of ethics in the media. 

There are only a few exceptions when it comes to publishing untruthful information. If it is just tiny information that is not true, the work itself can still be harmless. However, an ethical violation may lead to a lawsuit if the truth is disregarded. 

On the other hand, a reporter should never hold back due to the severity of the truth. The readers have a right to know. If the information is confirmed valid, there is no reason it can't be published. The ASME editorial guidelines help explain why "editors should never hesitate to publish information their readers have a right to know."

Every media company wants to be the first one with information when something big happens. Unfortunately, that makes it difficult to balance speed and accuracy. I understand wanting to get more readers/viewers by publishing something first, but only if you can do it without recklessly publishing wrong information. 

Photo from Prof. Dr. Hadzialic

Ethical Importance

Media, news, and all sorts of information are thrown in our faces every day without us even knowing it. It is up to us to decipher which companies and organizations we trust to tell us the truth. It makes it a lot easier when the media follows their ethical codes. 

It is still up to us to figure out the truth and not just trust all media types because there is no natural way to enforce the ethical codes. The first amendment of the United States still allows every citizen their freedom of speech. If they were to regulate the media, it would be regulating their first amendment rights.