Personal Code of Ethics

Throughout the course, we've looked into many debatable dilemmas that question our morals and ethics.We've looked into different trolley cases, undercover reporting, bribing sources, objectivity, and the list goes on and on. I think that's the beauty and curse about journalism; how ethical dilemmas can either present you as a credible and respectable journalist or frowned upon and questionable.

I have spoken to many journalists and one of the first things they immediately point out is "to always speak the truth". When you're a journalist, your credibility is the backbone to your career. The community reads your stories and trust that it is truthful and accountable. Once you lose your credibility, then whatever reputation you've gained as a journalist is lost in the public's eye. Therefore keeping an open mind and being objective is essential to being a journalist. Without objectivity then it's quite difficult to attain credibility.


The idea of undercover reporting has also come up during class discussions. To do or not to do? I have recently come across an article about an undercover reporter investigating the abuse of seniors and people with disabilities in a care home in the UK. The reporter had applied for the position as a helper and had to witness the abuse, torture and inhuman acts that occurred right in front of his eyes. In undercover reporting, there are many ethical questions that are hard to identify as simply black or white. Should the reporter blow his cover in order to prevent an abuse? Is it ethical to film the event? When, if necessary, should he reveal his identity? In the end, the reporter kept his cover and knew that if the patient's life was in danger he would step in even if it meant blowing his cover. By keeping the utilitarianism idea in mind, he continued with the story, which led to a full investigation of the facility.

I base my code of ethics on utilitarianism. As a reporter, I feel that my duty is to provide the community with information that will help them understand and provide an unbiased account of the event. It's natural for all human beings to have an opinion and with every situation there are circumstances. In such cases, controversial documentaries like Taxi to the Dark Side can question if following the utilitarianism idea is well worth it at all. In a quick summary, the documentary illustrates the torture and humiliation of Afghan civilians made by U.S. troops in Bagram, Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. Some U.S. citizens argue that we have the right to know about these situations. Others, have attacked reporters and filmmakers, claiming that they are unpatriotic for showcasing such a thing. But isn't it the truth?

Overall, I believe our personal code of ethics is a compilation of many things. It is a mixture of our morals that we have grown up living by, facts and ideas learned in class and personal experiences from our past. Not everyone have the same code of ethics, but there is definite overlapping. In the end, I personally believed that it's a matter of what you think is ethical and what you think is moral. While I may be against climbing over gates and showing up at my source's house, the person sitting next to me may have reasons to why this could be ethical. Who knows, maybe I'll be convinced or I may convince him or her otherwise.

Journalists and blogging ethics

As graduation is fast approaching, I can't help but hear from peers of the extraneous tasks they have ahead of them that include cleaning out Facebook photos and deleting anything that may turn prospective employers the other way. Then it got to me. Aside from Facebook, what other media outlets do we engage in online? Blogs. Yes, I too have a personal blog where I like to reblog pictures and try to refrain from telling the public about anything "too" personal.

Yet, will some of my content return to haunt me later? I cross my fingers that it wouldn't and think how I can wash away all my worries about future employers with one simple "delete" button. Sadly, with that delete button, deletes a bit of me, my history and a huge chunk of my creativity. What if this "creative" side is what employers are looking for?

What to do, what to do? Better yet, what do other journalists do?

Some interesting points I found on Poynter.org about Online Journalism Ethics. In 2006 a group of online journalists got together to discuss ethical guidelines when doing online/web journalism.

Should journalists be allowed to keep personal blogs?

Yes, but journalists who work for journalistic organizations should acknowledge that role. They should also recognize their responsibility to the organization, and review the plans for the blog with an editor, so that any potential conflicts can be discussed. It’s always best to operate on the premise of “no surprises” for your editor or your organization — or your readers.

Is it ever appropriate for a reporter to write anonymously on someone else’s blog or site? Is it appropriate for a reporter operate a blog under an alias?

No. Professional journalists should not write or comment on other blogs anonymously or run an anonymous blog. Reporters are expected to own responsibility for their work, and commenting or blogging anonymously compromises that core principle. If a reporter believes that some anonymity of similar tactic is required — possibly as part of a reporting assignment or a restaurant review — the strategy should be used carefully and in consultation with an editor. And if you decide it is appropriate, consider the plan for eventual disclosure and transparency. This same rule applies to any “journalist”: bloggers, editors, photographers, etc.

Do we need to differentiate between opinion blogs and news blogs?

Remember that a “blog” is only a medium. It’s what you do with it that matters. News organizations should differentiate clearly between opinion blogs and news blogs. Though they may share a format, the driving force behind clear labeling is the content of the journalism, not the format. News organizations should articulate clear standards and labeling for all of their news and opinion, whether it’s on a printed page or in a blog.

Quoting yourself using an alias?

Mayor uses alias to write freelance stories quoting himself

I came across this article on Poynter.org about a mayor who used "Richard Burwash" as his alias to write stories about himself. Is this ethical? I never heard of an instance when a freelancer created an alias in order to quote his/herself. The Utah mayor wanted to write about other things than crime and bring more positive news to the community. Although his intentions were good, wouldn't creating an alias to write somewhat of a bias story lose his credibility as a mayor?

Journalism degree necessary?

With graduation fast approaching, the real world is basically...here. When I first started out as a freshman I had all these ideas and big dreams about the future. Now that I'm a senior, the dreams are still there, yet a bit more realistic. During my whole college career I've had many people ask me what my plans are with a journalism degree. I've even had internship advisors tell me that I didn't need a journalism degree which confused me more than anything. So I made a Venn diagram... no joke!

Then I came across this article: Standing Up for the Journalism Degree: It Is Not Useless

Interesting quote: "This underlies another important point: You can’t be a reporter if you aren’t passionate about the job. The cons of it will just eat at you and make you hate it unless it is really what makes you tick. And there’s really no way to get around that fact"

Journalists and their personal blogs: freedom of speech or career suicide?

Blogs are the new resumes. Sometimes, we don't want it to be a resume, yet it's inevitable to stop someone from searching every media outlet that you are linked to. I started thinking about how journalists are in a fine grey area when it comes to blogs. We have the freedom to write whatever that may be on our minds, but as a professional, we place a censorship on ourselves. People are human beings and sometimes we write things that can be controversial or opinionated. Therefore how far can journalists go without having their personal blog affect their career?


CNN producer was fired for blogging (as a hobby) of contents about the media, Oprah Winfrey, etc. The blog went viral where CNN did not like the unwanted attention therefore letting Chez Pazienza go.Do you think journalists have an "unwritten" censorship about what they write online?

Article: Murky Boundaries by Kevin Rector

Asian Journalism Ethics

Found an interesting breakdown of journalism ethics in Asia.While many journalists follow similar codes of ethics such as telling the truth, not discriminating, etc. some Asian countries consider other factors to be just as important.

Cambodia
Protect women, children and the disabled
Give special consideration to women, children and the disabled.


Taiwan
A journalist shall not take up another job which conflicts with his profession, or engage in such fields, and shall avoid assignments which are connected with his own interests.

A journalist shall not join any political party or take up public office, nor shall he take part in election campaigns. He shall quit his job if he decides to seek election for public office.


Bangladesh 
Newspapers and journalists have the right to express their views strongly on controversial issues but in doing so:

a. All true events and views must be expressed clearly.
b. No event shall be distorted in order to influence the readers.
c. No news shall be distorted or slanted dishonestly either in the main comment or in the headline.
d. Views on major news shall be presented clearly and honestly.

Islam
To refrain from either broadcasting or publishing anything that goes against public morality and the rules of decent demeanour. This also means any condoning of crime, violence, suicide or anything that arouses terror or provokes lower instincts, whether directly or indirectly, should be strictly avoided.

website:  Journalism Code of Ethics in Asia

"Citizen" Journalism

I came across an article with the term "citizen" journalism. To my knowledge, citizen journalism is when a journalist can actively make a contribution to society by reporting, analyzing, and writing articles through blogs, etc. With the number of natural disasters, the number of citizen journalists are increasing. What are the ethics to this underlying form of new journalism?

Citizen journalism allows eyewitnesses to take photos and send the message out to the public possibly before the news can cover them. Although there's the rule of the freedom of speech, many under estimate the ethics being a "citizen journalist"since most contents can be found on youtube or blogs, etc.Without a journalism background, many are unaware of what can and what can not be said. The backbone of news is to inform the public of the truth. No if, buts just because its on a personal blog.



Article - "Are Ethics Missing in Citizen Journalism"
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/221308/are_ethics_missing_in_citizen_journalism.html?cat=9