Ethics in journalism is the foundation of good practice. The Society of Professional Journalists says, “Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.” Gathering and interpreting the news both pose significant opportunities for journalists to be unethical. The presenting group reminded the class that journalists should remember that their colleagues, sources and subjects of their reporting are human beings and have feelings, thoughts and opinions like everyone else, which should be respected.
Last week I did a story on the missionary tragedy where two missionaries were killed in a hit and run. I was assigned by my news director to go interview the friends and family of one of the missionaries. For the first time I had total hands on experience with dealing with those affected by such a heart wrenching tragedy. From that experience I learned how important it is to show kindness towards those affected adversely by news coverage.
Ethics in journalism encompass; clarification and explanation of news coverage, encouragement of the public voice against the media, admitting mistakes and correcting them. It also encompasses acting independently. It is important to be current on all that is going on, without going so far as to be involved. Ethics in journalism really just represent the characteristics of being an honest, considerate and good person. There is no rocket science to being ethical, it’s mostly just common science.
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