"The Ethics of Journalism"

One of the most important ethical issues in recent days has been that of the standards for outlets of journalism. Particularly in question here has been the independence of political viewpoints of major news channels (CNN, MSNBC, and Fox) and newspaper companies (New York Times, Washington Post). Even though the discussion of the independence of these news sources is new at such a high level of government, the concern is not new at all. If anything, the previous presidential administration could well have questioned the alliance of Fox News with a party. Meanwhile, muddying the waters is the actual entrance into politics of purveyors of more extreme positions, such as Breitbart News. All of this is very troubling for the average citizen in the United States who is just trying to find out what is going on in his/her country and take appropriate positions and actions.

The ethics of journalism has always been important to establish. For this reason, there is a code of ethics that upstanding journalists will follow, The Society of Professional Journalist's Code of Ethics. It includes in part these headings: "Seek Truth and Report it, Minimize Harm, Act Independently, and Be Accountable." In today’s market journalistic ethics is broadened to include media ethics. Media ethics includes “dealing with the specific ethical principles and standards of media, including broadcast media, film, theatre, the arts, print media and the internet.” Most of the debate within the field of media ethics surrounds “the extent of the influence of the means of communication on the formation of beliefs, values, and standards.” (The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Ethics, 1986, p. 374.) So much of what troubles the average citizen today has to do with how particularly television outlets are belief and value shapers. If you exclusively watch events covered by the top three news media stations, or any of the top four or five general stations (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS/NPR), you will likely get a one-sided view of the event. It is important that consumers of broadcast journalism watch more than one source, and at least know what people on the other side of the “communication aisle” are saying. The media journalist should tell the story as they see it, but not distort the basic facts of the event according to a belief or value. In addition, each media journalist should adhere to the need for more than one source for what is broadcast.

Increasingly, in the television and radio media there is a need to get people to watch their channel. The internet has such a following that, like other areas such as magazines and newspapers, television and radio media have championed sensationalism to up their ratings and increase their advertising revenue. A good consumer will get to know what advertisers drive the channels and who is most independent of outside sources. Above all, each consumer should know the journalism markets are profit driven.

The contemporary debate on this topic is one surrounding the president of the U.S. calling some sources “fake news.” Quality journalists on both sides of the spectrum have defended the integrity of the organizations labeled “fake news.” If anything, the response to this charge has demonstrated the importance of the first amendment, which includes freedom of speech. For many people the accusations of the current highest officeholder in the land could be a first step to silencing the opposition that has been so critical of not only his style of presidency, but many of his positions.

As a consumer of media of all types, it will be important for us to evaluate all media outlets as to the ethical standards that they follow. Consumers may find those people who speak most clearly and honestly to them. Ultimately, we will probably not find a Walter Cronkite today, who most people knew they could believe. For this reason, we will have to be thoughtful and deliberative on everything that we read, hear, and see. Surprisingly the First Amendment (not the Second) may well be the most important and debated amendment in the Bill of Rights for the next four years!