Journalism and the Code of Ethics
Introduction:
What? Thesis - Current code is irrelevant to journalists
Why? Importance of ethics in mass media
[IMAGE]How? A qualitative look
Areas of concern
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1. Current Code of Ethics
2. Responsibility of Journalists
[IMAGE]3. Forces that motivate Journalists and how this impacts the
truth
Analysis:
Current Code of Ethics creates a false perception that Journalists are
unbiased.
[IMAGE]
Conclusion:
There is no need for the current Code of Ethics.
We need to redefine the code in order for it to be effective.
[IMAGE]Mass Communication
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Mass Media Ethics
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[IMAGE]
Major Essay Topic:
[IMAGE]Journalism and the Code of Ethics
Introduction
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Define Ethics
Impact of Journalism in Society
What? The current code is irrelevant to journalists, for they are
agents of the mass media employed by those most powerful and
influential in society.
Why? Ethics is important in every aspect of life especially important
in our communications with others. An exploration of the ethics and
the motivations that underlie journalists (influential agents of mass
media) is fundamentally important in understanding the mass media as
an agent of those dominant in our society and the forces that motivate
them in their exploration of the truth.
[IMAGE]How? A qualitative analysis of the issues pertaining to
journalism and the current Code of Ethics, utilizing information from
a variety of different sources to obtain a vast body of knowledge
pertaining to journalism and the current code.
Areas of Concern:
1. Current Code of Ethics:
Defintion
What it entails?
Relevance to Journalists
+
2. Responsibility to Journalists:
Based on the assumptions in the Code of Ethics
Objectivity
To society and the public
Loyalty to owners
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3. Forces that motivate Journalists that influence the truth:
In Rushworth Kidder’s book “How Good People Make Tough Choices,” Kidder provides a series of different methods, codes and examples of what being an ethical journalist could mean. He gives examples of different situations where a person’s ethics are tested and what would be a good way to deal with these situations. He starts by explaining the difference between things that are right-versus-right dilemmas, and those that are right-versus-wrong dilemmas.
In comparing ethical issues surrounding the journalists in “All The President’s Men” and “Welcome To Sarajevo”, there are several ethical issues that the journalists experienced. Ethics are an important aspect of journalism, since journalists face a multitude of ethical issues within their industry. Therefore, there are ethical guidelines that journalists’ use called “The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics” [SPJ Code of Ethics]. When analyzing how the journalists in “All The President’s Men” and “Welcome To Sarajevo”, one can refer to the SPJ Code of Ethics to observe the possible ethical issues the journalists experienced. The four main concepts in the SPJ Code of Ethics are: seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently,
Journalism is a discipline of collecting, analyzing, verifying, and presenting news regarding current events, trends, issues and people. The certain individuals who practice journalism are called journalists. Journalism's main goal in reporting events is to state who, what, when, where, why, and how, and to explain the significance of all. There are two main types of journalism which are print journalism and also broadcast journalism. Print journalism can include newspapers, news magazines, newsletters, general interest magazines, and online news pages. Next is broadcast journalism which actually merges off into two categories which are radio and television. Radio gathers the facts and the journalist are forced to convey the story with the help of interesting noises and background sounds. Television mainly relies on visual information to display and basically help tell the story. Through the use of the television it proves to help characterize the story with the use of on-camera interviews, interviews with people involved in the story, and pictures or video from where the story took place. Journalism has developed steadily over the past years and it is a part of society's everyday life.
Newsweek launched its inaugural issue on February 17, 1933, featuring a speech by Germany’s new chancellor, Adolf Hitler, as well as the election of Franklin Roosevelt. The Washington Post’s parent company acquired the magazine in the 1960’s and Newsweek became a definitive source of news analysis and opinion. It applied a liberal bent to its coverage of politics and war. Those were the days when good content was worth waiting for. Newsweek thrived in the 1960’s, giving coverage to black America and the Civil Rights movement, the counterculture in the arts and on campus, the space program and giving bylines to individual writers and critics. Newsweek was against the war and received awards and circulation gains for that stand (Shufelt, 2007).
The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) provides a very clear and thorough Code of Ethics, which serves as a good definition of ethical journalism. According to this code, an ethical journalist must try to minimize any potential harm done to people directly involved with the event being reported. Such a journalist should also act independently of any personal biases, and be responsive to any criticism of their work. Finally, a truly ethical journalist must seek to find and report the truth (Society). Common sense reaffirms these guidelines. When one thinks of ethical behavior, one usually thinks along terms of being truthful, appreciative of others, acting responsively and using fair judgement. All of these concepts are explicitly stated in the SPJ's Code of Ethics.
she effectively remain a credible journalist while still holding her vow to help those "trapped in
Thirty years ago, if I told you that the primary means of communicating and disseminating information would be a series of interconnected computer networks you would of thought I was watching Star Trek or reading a science fiction novel. In 2010, the future of mass media is upon us today; the Internet. The Internet is and will only grow in the future as the primary means of delivering news, information and entertainment to the vast majority of Americans. Mass media as we know it today will take new shape and form in the next few years with the convergence and migration of three legacy mediums (Television, Radio, Newspaper) into one that is based on the Internet and will replace these mediums forever changing the face of journalism, media and politics. In this paper I will attempt to explain the transition of print media to one of the internet, how the shift to an internet based media environment will impact journalism and mass media, and how this migration will benefit society and forever change the dynamic of news and politics.
"Journalism Ethics Online Journalism Ethics Gatekeeping." Journalism Ethics for the Global Citizen. Web. 05 Dec. 2010. .