Ethically Speaking..

Ethics is a concern that many professionals in any industry confront at some stage or another, and there is no difference for journalists. As a student of journalism, questions of ethics are thrown around quite often and I think we all try to look at the matter a little more romantically than what the reality calls for.

Some media critics see ethical journalism as a oxymoron that helps some journos sleep at night and forget their dodgy dealings. Ethics in modern journalism can concern the price at which journalists and news outlets will pay for a story. I've learnt from being a news consumer and studying the profession that not all journalism is about hard work or digging up the story and getting interviews easily. If people have a great story to sell that will appeal to a mass audience, chances are they are going to sell to the highest bid.

After some discussion about this topic in my journalism class, it got me thinking about the Beaconsfield miners who were trapped in a Victorian mine in April 2006.

 The two miners from Beaconsfield, trapped underground, sold their story to Channel Nine after a bidding war erupted for a reported $2 million. Chequebook journalism is not a new thing to the profession, however seeing such large amounts can be a little perturbing for some with a idyllic reality of journalism and the methods for getting a story and the interviewees along with it.  Nicola Goc and Jason Bainbridge's The Beaconsfield mine disaster and the evolution of chequebook journalism looks at nature of chequebook journalism and how news has changed to values of entertainment and exclusivity, and not traditional news values. 

Looking over Goc and Bainbridge's analysis, I'm most interested by the miner's bold attitude towards the competing television stations bidding for their dramatic story. Todd Russell demanded Eddie McGuire, the then CEO of Channel Nine to "tell me how big your chequebook is and we'll talk" on national television on Nine's The Footy Show.

I think chequebook journalism is placing power and control into the hands of the original storyteller - the public. Todd Russell's demands were met with an applause from the audience and eventually a deal and $2 million from Channel Nine. The media in these situations are reduced to bidders at a story auction. They gain a story which will last 24 hours and hopefully gain them an increase in audience and then its onto the next bid.

Your truth or my truth?

A journalist's position to disseminate information and news requires an ability to remain objective and truthful. Conley and Lamble say that "the best journalists are on a crusade but it is never personal" (2006: xiii). This romantic view of journalism is a slowly slipping standard in some newsrooms.

Journalists are encouraged to immerse themselves in the culture on which they report. Remaining objective and unbiased in some conditions can almost be considered a turn against pre-structures. As humans we naturally form ideas, opinions and reality based upon what we call our own social understanding. However as mentioned before at the start of this post, a journalists profession does not primarily revolve around opinion, most of the time it calls for a balanced view of news and facts so the audience can judge for itself.

Truth and lies spell the black and white debate of journalism. However withholding information and failing to tell audiences crucial information is an important aspect of journalism as well. ABC Media Watch in August 2009 caught out Channel Ten news in QLD as they mislead the public on current real estate market opportunities. Media Watch's story was entitled TEN'S Real Estate Trifecta and showed a reporter interviewing what appears to be investors in QLD's markets but as Media Watch uncovers, they are actually employees of Ray White Real Estate in a QLD suburb. The reporter on the story failed to mention the role of their talent and ultimately lead the public to believe they were investors.

Is the naming and shaming of untrustworthy news sources enough or is there a way to put a stop to lies and deception? Unfortunately for now, there isn't. However a journalist should aim to be truthful about their own subjectivity and keep a watchful eye on it as they investigate stories so they can produce honest and balanced work.

Playing with private matters

Privacy is something we assume naturally belongs to us and no one else. How wrong we were.

The news values are structured so that what ever is current, timely, personable, within proximity, personality/celebrity based, interesting or even ground breaking makes news. Within these news values lies stories that can injure or bring forth issues that are apart of someone's privacy. Journalism is a profession based on hard research, that may take on unusual forms to get to the heart of an issue, or an underlying facet that can be brought to light to discredit or shame someone.

The AJA Code of Ethics states that journalists "do not place unnecessary emphasis on personal characteristics, including race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, sexual orientation, family relationships, religious belief, or physical or intellectual disability." In light of these recommendations, why do some stories still go ahead when there are clear privacy issues prevalent?

It's in the public's interest. This is the reasoning behind many stories that contain breaches of privacy. Journalists and media organisations can throw weight behind a story that involves research and footage that brings forth unsavoury personal information. 

An example of this is NSW's former Transport Minister David Campbell who was forced to resign after Channel Seven ran a story earlier in the year that showed Mr Campbell leaving a gay club in a Ministerial car. Channel Seven attempted to defend their expose by saying that it was run in the best interest of the public as Campbell was not living up to the reputation of a state minister. He was accused of abusing his car privileges (it came out later that it was within his right to use the car for personal matters) and misleading his electorate.  

This is an example of ignored privacy and unethical practice. It is within the best interests of each journalism in the field or studying to enter the field that not only can the reputation of the subject be seriously damaged but so can the author. Simply writing up the saucy story that underlies many problems within the fabric of ethics is not writing to be celebrated but rather frowned upon and thrown into the rubbish bin.  

Tweets, Twits and Twists

It is exciting that journalism is a multifaceted profession with many areas that need constant attention. However the rise of citizen journalism and social networking sites is causing significant problems for the industry, users and problematic messages sent into a vast world of everyone and the unknown.

In the media recently, Olympic gold medalist Stephanie Rice has been slapped over the wrists after she wrote homophobic remarks on Twitter. The Sydney Morning Herald reported the story as "anti-social networking." Now, it is believable that Rice only wrote 'suck on that faggots' after she was caught up in the moment after watching the Australian rugby team beat South Africa. But what is inappropriate is the phrase and use of language she used will probably be forgotten in a week after she wins us another gold medal. Journalists in a similar case would lose their job, be blacklisted from many employment opportunities afterwards and gain unpleasant career file footage. What I am getting at is the disadvantages for anyone with an opinion and a social networking account to express opinions. Journalists rightfully reap what they sow every day, and so should those citizens using literary and journalistic tools.  Foot-in-mouth is a common problem faced by users of social networking sites and journalists who use the Twitter site in and after work hours.

The social networking site can be used successfully by media organisations and journalists for researching purposes and constant streams of updates. Journalists have taken up Twitter fever with many signing up to find out whats going in other areas of journalism and what is making news amongst citizens and celebrities. The Australian ran a story in June 2009 when the social site was just coming into full bloom and catching every media outlet's attention. Immediacy and reporting on the ground as events occur are important elements in journalism and tweeting can afford journalists to constantly update as stories occur and be updated.