Media and ethics coexist
Media ethics. This is not an oxymoron – at least journalists are trying hard to make sure it isn’t. But recently, I get the impression that readers don’t feel that way.
This feeling stems from comments rot in many of my recent casual conversations. I tell folks that I’m in a media ethics class and they respond something to the effect of: “Really? I didn’t think media had any ethics.” Well, we do. In fact, more than you might think.
As much as that statement and ones like it hurt me, I can understand why some people feel that way. The news isn’t perfect, in fact, most of the time, it isn’t even good. Journalism has been built from telling people’s sad stories, a disease that seems to get worse as time goes on. We are addicted to violence, scandal and disaster and, in turn, so are our readers.
Whose fault is this? Well, reporters blame it on the readers. We hold true to the good old-fashioned saying, “give the people what they want,” and thus feel justified in plastering the front page with murder, and in the case of student papers, tuition increases. Journalists also take relief in the idea that the people have the right to know these things, and who else is going to tell them if we don’t. Bad news is part of life. Therefore, journalists are only doing their duty.
This is where our code of ethics comes into play. With an obligation to report the news, good or bad, the journalism industry has developed a list of standards that, if followed, keep reporters, editors and news organizations from crossing a line. For the Society of Professional Journalists, these ethics have been reduced to four basic duties: seek the truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently and be accountable.
Seeking truth and reporting it accurately is what separates journalists from the other kinds of writers in the world. Above all other ethical standards, journalism is committed to never bending, stretching or manufacturing the truth. Doing so is forfeiting our credibility and thus, our careers.
It is not the goal of journalists to hurt people. We have no ax to grind. The duty to minimize harm means we realize that what we do hurts some people some of the time. But that is not our purpose, and if we didn’t have to sacrifice truth to prevent pain, we’d prevent it.
The last two duties, for me, act as one. Acting independently means realizing a journalist’s loyalty lies with the people, the truth and none else. We don’t speak for parties, companies or specific points of view. We are our own voice, that is, we are the voice of the people. Realizing this, we hold ourselves accountable to our readers. If they don’t like what we’re doing, they have every right to tell us.
Perhaps you’re wondering why this information is important, especially if you’re not a journalist. As a journalism student, these ethics have been systematically beaten into my skull. I have been lectured, told horror stories and threatened with my life to know the code and follow it the best I can. Part of the reason for this is because there are a few legal problems with reporting errors, mainly libel. But for most of the questionable journalism out there, the things the people are really complaining about, there are no legal consequences. That means the responsibility of keeping journalism in line belongs not only to the journalists themselves, but the people they serve as well.
Therefore, it is the responsibility of every media consumer, along with all media professionals, to understand the code at least a little bit and keep in mind what journalism is trying to accomplish. Journalism does have ethics, and for the most part, they are very well kept. But mistakes can be made. Standards can conflict and choices must be made. When that happens, we can’t simply write to the paper screaming about their lack of ethics, for that is simply not true.
Journalists do have ethics. It is not fair to say media have no ethics simply because we don’t understand what they are or always agree with how they work.
Mikaylie Kartchner is a senior majoring in print journalism. Comments and questions can be sent to mikayliek@cc.usu.edu.