Ethics? Who needs 'em?

Haley Bender - hb476416@ohio.edu

Source: https://www.spj.org/ethicsweek-whatisjournalism.asp

Ethics is a generally vague word that can be defended in a million different ways. What is ethical and what is not has been debated for centuries. What is ethical in journalism and what it not has been debated among the public and journalists since its inception. 

Ethics, according to Merriam-Webster, is "the discipline dealing with what is good and bad with moral duty and obligation." As a journalism student, I often hear professors say that we will have to face many ethical dilemmas throughout our careers. How can I be equipped to handle that? Many argue that you should always trust your gut. But, your gut isn't always right, and many times a supervisor wouldn't like to hear "I just feel like this is right" as reasoning for a big decision that could highly effect the company. 

Thankfully, we have centuries of philosophers and thinkers who have helped theorize what is right and what is wrong. These theories and ideas, along with countless examples from the past, help guide our reasoning to find the best practice. 

Teleology is a branch of philosophy that concentrates on the outcome of an action as a way to determine whether something is right or wrong. In teleology, the goal is to do the most good. In a situation, one should think about the possible outcomes, and choose which one will do the most good.

Deontology is another branch of philosophy that is based on rules. According to deontologists, one should always follow the rules, regardless of how just the rule might be.

Similar to teleology, utilitarianism also focuses on the outcomes of an action. In utilitarianism however, everyone is important and the consequences of an action are considered for everyone. Utilitarianism is used among many journalists because it ensures all people are considered.

Cultural norms are ideas and rules that society says are right and wrong, but are not usually legally the case. An example of a cultural norm in journalism is using AP style. Most news publications use this style for writing but there is no law saying that all news must be written this way.

According to a Gallup poll, the percentage of people who would rate the honesty and ethics of journalists as very low has significantly increased in recent years. With the current political climate, journalists have no room for slip ups when it comes to ethics.

Thankfully, the Society of Professional Journalists has a very simple and easy to understand code of ethics that can help guide journalists to make the right decision when faced with an ethical dilemma. The code of ethics outlines four main principles that all journalists should follow in their reporting: seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently and be accountable and transparent. The Society of Professional Journalists updates the code often to keep up with our constantly changing world.

From reporting on war to reporting on local business, ethics should play a part in every journalists' daily life. To answer the question posed in the title of this post, we all need ethics.

An Ethical Dilemma

Baylee DeMuth
bd575016@ohio.edu

Every year around the holidays I find myself telling the same relatives that I am a journalism major and receiving the same response: "So you're in the fake news business, huh?" 

It's difficult to hear my family bash my chosen career choice, but how can they not when, as the reading put it, "media bashing has become both a lucrative industry and an insidious political tactic?" With polls showing the public's trust in the media at an all time low, it makes sense why my family and so many others have a hard time believing anything the media puts out there nowadays. It has become harder to find honest journalism among the sleazy tabloids and constant political bias, putting readers in the sticky situation of whether or not they can trust the information being presented to them. It's a journalist's job to hold authorities accountable, to report on issues and topics around the world and to tell engaging stories that spark a conversation, all while making ethical decisions in the process. That doesn't seem too hard to handle, right? Unfortunately, some journalists have forgotten the meaning of ethics and the philosophy behind making sound moral decisions.

In chapter one of Moral Reasoning for Journalists, the authors use ethical to describe choices that reflect reasoning, and unethical to describe choices based on assumption, emotion or reflex. I believe those are wise descriptions of two words that many people wrongfully use synonymously with the words good and bad. With the pressures of deadline and making a profit, ethical codes are thrown out the window, leaving readers with even more belief journalists are fabricating stories. 

A reporter fabricating his own story. (Source: Chainsawsuit by Kris Straub)

I found the paragraph on ethical egoism quite intriguing, because I know ethical egoists out there, but was never able to put a term to it. Maybe sometimes the looming pressures of getting a story out there turns journalists into ethical egoists, enabling them to run a story without all the right facts just to save their behind. While there may be some relief in that, it is very short lived. As the article goes on, it brings up the problem of ethical reasoning, which is concerned with the notion of self-in-society, not just with self. A story that cuts ethical corners poorly affects readers, giving them false information that gets passed on, feeding the vicious cycle of mistrust between the press and the public. So why continue to make poor ethical decisions when it negatively affects society as a whole? Despite the actions of some, the reading reveals that it's in each individual's interest that the larger society continues to function, providing at least some hope that ethical reasoning among journalists is not dead.

The bottom line is there is no excuse for sloppy journalism. Being an ethical journalist and reporting on the facts is a vital skill this world needs, and we must hold one another more accountable for our wrongful actions, no matter how big or small. Despite the bad reputation the media has, it's slowly gaining back the public's trust, and it's thanks to the journalists who take place in those conversations and produce truthful and ethical news through all the chaos.

Ethical Journalism: Where Did It All Go Wrong?

By: Kaysee Faecher
kf378616@ohio.edu

Trust: "A firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something." Trust is a concept that consumers started to doubt when the idea of fake news was brought into society. Many question, "When did fake news truly start?" Some would say that it didn't start to take form until President Donald Trump announced he was running for the oval office. Time and time again he called out media outlets for exposing fake news about him and his candidacy. While others believe it has been an issue in society for decades. Whether you believe it started in the 2016 presidential race or 20 years ago, most can agree that this idea has put a negative look onto journalists and their ethical beliefs. Chapter 1 of Moral Reasonings For Journalists written by Steven Knowlton and Bill Reader, begs the question, does the consumer distrust the news or distrust the ethics of those who write such news?

Many people blame the negative state of journalism because journalists are in it for the money and they have a political bias. One of the quotes that stuck out to me in the chapter was, "The criticisms are that, because of corruption, bias, or sloth, journalists are not living up to their moral obligations to report and write certain things in certain ways (5)." Forms of social media have painted a mask over what true and honest journalism is. There are many social media accounts that have the pure purpose of posting fake stories for people to talk about. In this case, they are doing it for the clicks and doing it for the money. These are the types of things that cause people to question journalists ethical values and lose trust in the journalism industry.

                             
                               (Facebook announced as the top media outlet for fake news consumption)
   Source link: https://thenextweb.com/facebook/2018/07/14/facebooks-fight-against-fake-news-stops-short-of-banning-it/

This video talks about how studies show that Facebook is the number one site for fake news to be spread. Since this study was presented to the public Facebook has taken measures to stop the spread of this idea that damages the credibility of the journalism industry. They have told users to report any fake news that pops up on their feed. This article by Wired. com states, "By far the biggest change to come with these announcements is the introduction of a new metric called Click-Gap, which Facebook's news feed algorithms will use to determine where to rank a given post. " With this new initiative, Facebook can identify posts that users are calling fake news. Methods like the Click-Gap can help gain the trust of readers and positively impact the reputation of journalists.

I really like the code of ethics that the Society of Professional Journalists abides by. SPJ says, "Ethical journalism strives to ensure the free exchange of information that is accurate, fair, and thorough. An ethical journalist acts with integrity." Journalism is all about telling the truth and getting an honest story out there that the audience needs to know. A journalist with a strong and positive ethical backbone can help ensure that consumers will read the truth and get honest information out of their pieces. I really liked the quote from chapter 1 of Moral Reasoning For Journalist that says, "Journalists of all kinds, be that students or seasoned veterans, need to be able to respond to criticism and to join in thoughtful discussion concerning what newspeople do, how they do it, and why. That discussion must also include considerations of what journalists should do, how they should do it, and why. (5) I like the idea that if journalists engage in the conversation and listen to the consumers we can change the face of journalism and how society looks at journalists and their ethical and moral values.

Journalism and ethics codes

Madeline Butina
mb978716@ohio.edu

Explain to just about any elder relative (particularly those age 45 and above) you are studying journalism and politics at college and listen as a version of the same monologue unfolds before you.

"Journalism and politics, eh? What a combo!"

"Ha! That's a hot topic! Fake news!"

"Betcha love listening to all this political chatter about the media!" (Typically followed by chortling.)

by Nate Beeler. Columbus Dispatch. Washingtonpost.com 2019

The reason this news is met with such skepticism is because there is a national debate taking place about journalists and what they ethically *should* and *should not* do, as well as standards they *are* and *are not* upholding.

Journalism ethics, though some may say is an oxymoron, is an exhausted topic within the media community. It can be argued that in a political climate that is so eager to condemn journalists as liars and sensationalists, media companies are trying harder than ever to maintain credibility and report as ethically as possible.

But what is "as ethically as possible?" Who determines how best to cover suicides and corruption schemes?

The short answer is that journalists themselves determine what is ethically acceptable. In an effort to combat the media's reputation, many organizations are producing their own set of concrete ethical standards to demonstrate reporters are taking criticism seriously.

This may seem like a caveat — journalists are playing by their own rules. However, what matters is that the standards that are set in place are indeed ethical. To determine this, delving into what exactly ethics is is important.

Some philosophical perspectives on ethics, like teleology, focus on the outcomes. Teleology takes into account the results of any decision: which choice may produce the best outcome for the greatest number of people?

Deontology, on the other hand, argues that the motives behind choices are what are important, regardless of the potential outcome. This philosophy comes from religious rules: what is morally allowed and not allowed.

Teleology may argue that (hypothetically speaking, of course) running a story about how the president is secretly a lizard person with vast militaristic superpowers would be unethical because if revealed, people could be killed by the militant lizard person.

However, deontology may determine that running the story would be ethical because the public would deserve to know the true identity of their leader, even if the people may face lethal consequences of that knowledge. They "would deserve to know" because remaining ignorant would allow for deception, an unethical concept.

Most media platforms' codes of ethics seem to incorporate deontology more. A shared theme among many codes, specifically found in the Society of Professional Journalists's code, is to seek truth and report it. Essentially, most organizations believe that when dealing with controversial topics, the best method of approach is to disseminate the information because the media exists to educate.

To be sure, the media and ethics are two terms discussed together. Though individuals may have varied feelings on if the media is ethical, there is no question that journalists are trying to be through their codes and philosophies.

The Good, the Bad and the Ethical

Sara Dowler
sd719116@ohio.edu

Source: news.mit.edu

So often are the words 'good' and 'ethical' thought of as synonymous.  I myself believed the two words to be interchangeable until reading chapter one of the second edition of Moral Reasoning for Journalists. 

On the surface level, it makes sense that these two words should mean the same thing. For don't we make ethical decisions in the name of the common good? Are we not good journalists as a result of making ethical decisions? Aren't good decisions ethical ones as well?

While we hope that our good intentions shine through as we make decisions throughout our lives, it is often the case, especially in journalism, that these ethical decisions, despite whatever good intentions we may have, are not so black and white as the difference between good and bad.

Due to this fact, chapter one of Moral Reasoning for Journalists urges readers to separate the words 'ethical' from 'good' and 'unethical' from 'bad' when working through their ethical decision-making process. Instead, the chapter encourages readers to use the word 'ethical' to describe choices that reflect reasoning and 'unethical' to describe choices based on assumption, emotion or reflex. Thus, completely taking the words 'good' and 'bad' out of the ethical decision-making process.

This idea particularly stood out to me because often we know what is right or wrong when faced with a decision, but whether a decision is good or bad can be muddled by personal interest or other pressures. However, it is this way of thinking presented in chapter one that can help journalists navigate the gray area between good and bad when trying to make an ethical decision. For it is this gray area where journalists often run into trouble.

As explained in this video, with misinformation spreading like wildfire and the term 'fake news' being constantly passed around the internet, trust between journalists and their audience has been severely damaged. This can then have the potential for danger. For if audiences do not know who to trust in the media, it makes navigating events such as elections harder to participate in when you do not know what is true or false about a politician, or another example is events such as natural disasters, if there is distrust in the media it can slow an audience's response to getting to safety.

Ultimately, this damage to the audience's trust in the media now makes ethical decision making more high-stakes than ever before. And while trust in the media may be making a comeback, as this article suggests, trust in the media is still a delicate matter.

For even though the data may show a rise in the audience's trust this by no means should indicate that trust in the media is completely restored. For, as shown in the article, trust still varies from media outlet type, political parties, certain networks and much more.

So, it is more important now than ever for journalists to understand this difference between 'good' and 'ethical' or 'bad' and 'unethical' so that journalists across the globe may understand the mechanics behind their decisions. All so that journalists can continue to win back their audience's trust so that trust in the media can continue to rise and the world can become a more trusting and ethical place.

Ethics in Journalism

Madison Foulkes

mf578016@ohio.edu

Even from a young age, we were taught what was ethical and unethical.  "Don't yell in the classroom." "Share your snacks with others." "Listen to the teacher."

Now that we have gotten older, the rules have become even more important. "Don't steal from people." "Don't drive above the speed limit." "Obey authority."

Although everyone may not agree with these rules all the time, they help keep our society united and organized. These "rules" stem from the idea of ethics. Ethics have always varied from country to country and culture to culture. The idea of ethics began in ancient Greek culture and was described as the study of knowledge. When describing a choice as 'ethical,' it should be reflective of reasoning. When describing a choice as 'unethical,' it is generally based on assumption, emotion and reflex. As mentioned above, not all citizens will always agree with the rules and laws the government has placed upon them, but rather than violating these laws, citizens are responsible for coming together and revising them in an ethical way.

A student questions whether his actions were ethical(Source: Media Matters for America).

Ethics is as important now as it was hundreds of years ago. With consumers feeling like they can't trust news sources and various media, journalists have to be even more careful about how they present certain topics to the public. There are critics that feel journalism has lost its way and no longer provides truthful and honest content to the public. However, research shows that journalists are more concerned with ethics than in previous years. Recently, there has been a shift to more stories being sensational and flashy because they are more likely to catch the eye. This drowns out the news outlets that focus on providing quality journalism to their readers. People often feel that journalists are not living up to the moral obligations they have been given to clearly inform the public of necessary information.

Today, there are over 400 codes written and developed by various groups and organizations of journalists. Many news organizations follow the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Code of Ethics, but some have their own. Although each of these codes may vary slightly in wording and structure, many of them contain five main journalistic values our society holds them accountable to. These include accuracy/fact-based information, independence, fairness/impartiality, humanity and accountability/transparency.

Journalists should aim to provide accuracy with relevant facts when reporting. They should also make sure they include their own individual voice and that they are not acting on behalf of special interests. Journalists should show all sides to the story while being objective as well as being sensitive and careful about how they present information. Finally, journalists need to be held accountable for their actions and be transparent with reporting.

Moreover, ethical journalism is important to the overall success of a society. Without accurate and fair reporting, a society cannot function to its fullest ability. Journalists need to provide information in a form that readers and viewers can use to better understand a society and help it succeed. 

Distrust of the news media or distrust of their ethics?

Anna Azallion
aa384716@ohio.edu

Trust in the news media is down, according to many individuals and many polls. The Knight Foundation poll is one of many proving the increasing distrust of the press. Individuals surveyed said their reasoning came under two categories: accuracy and bias.

Other reasons for distrust in the news media come from "Moral Reasoning for Journalists" by Steven Knowlton and Bill Reader. They say, according to many press critics, the reasons for distrust are linked to money, spinmeisters (the people in charge of maintaining the image of politicians, celebrities, etc), tabloid journalism and political bias.

The way I see it, the underlying reason people distrust the press is because they're questioning and doubting the ethics of these news media organizations. They blame it on other things like accuracy and bias, but both of those things point to ethics.

I think it's important to look at the ethical codes and ideas journalists strive to follow.

Source: Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). 

One of these is the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Code of Ethics.

"It is not a set of rules, rather a guide that encourages all who engage in journalism to take responsibility for the information they provide, regardless of medium," SPJ states on their website.

Other organizations like the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) have also created ethical guidelines. 

Journalists have ethical guidelines to follow so what's the problem, right? Why does much of the public distrust the news media? Are Journalists not following the guidelines?

I'm no expert, but from what I can tell after two years as a journalism student, an internship in a TV newsroom and working as a reporter for a student TV station, making ethical decisions is more complicated than just following some rules set by an organization. 

During my internship, several times I witnessed the news director and other management discussing the best decisions to make in covering a story with producers and reporters. Some decisions were easy. Like the story of a SWAT situation that turned into a suicide. The station policy is to not cover suicide, so that was the end of that. Other decisions were more difficult. Like the discussion of a claim in a Facebook post that would be incredibly newsworthy if true. Management and reporters discussed how to figure out if the claim was true and how much time and attention to devote to it. 

There's also an underlying theoretical reason why making ethical decisions is more complicated than just following a code of ethics. There are several theories about how to make ethical decisions. There's not one that's universally agreed upon, which indicates why it's complex and difficult to make some of the harder ethical decisions in news. 

So, what's the solution to this distrust of the news media?

There's no right or wrong solution right now; if there was one right solution, the problem wouldn't exist. To me, the solution is transparency and continuing to discuss ethical decision making every day. 

Source: The Newhouse School at Syracuse University

David Fahrenthold won the Toner Prize for excellence in political reporting because of his transparency in his reporting on Donald Trump during the 2016 election. While trying to substantiate Trump's claims of giving millions of his own money to charity, Fahrenthold tweeted photos of his notes and updates on his research throughout his whole investigation. His research culminated in this article. 

This transparency in where the facts are coming from should be the norm. By looking at David Fahrenthold's twitter, it's evident that for him, it is the norm. 

As far as discussing ethical decision making, all journalism students at Ohio University are required to take a course on ethics. The same is true at other top communication schools across the country; this is a step in the right direction. 

It's my hope that with the education on ethical journalism practices the next generation of journalists like myself are receiving, we'll be able to regain the trust of the public.