Journalism ethics

1. Mahfuza 1710
Journalism Ethics
What are ethics?
Ethics are a question of right or wrong.
They are moral rules and principles that control a person's behavior.
Journalism ethics:
Ethics serve as a guide to good professional practice on journalism. They help
journalists to maintain a high standard in their work.
Why do journalists need ethical guidelines?
They are needed for issues and events. If they publish something that’s untrue or
false, they could get a type of sanction for it.
These guidelines need to include the consideration of privacy (would someone
want to let others know that they’ve been raped?), anonymous sources
(scandal/hacking, is the person accused actually the hacker?).
Ethics = good journalism
Journalists need to consider:
- Rules
- “Greater good”
- Truth / lying
- Deception
- Fabrication/plagiarism
- Defamation/libel/slander
A journalist:
1. Supports and defends the principle of media freedom, the right of freedom of
expression and the right of the public to be informed at all times.
2. Strives to ensure that information broadcasted is truthfully delivered, accurate
and fair.
3. Does her/his utmost to correct harmful inaccuracies.
4. Differentiates between fact and opinion.
5. Obtains material by honest, straightforward and open means, with the
exception of investigations that are both overwhelmingly in the public
interest, and which involve evidence that cannot be obtained by
straightforward means.
6. Does nothing to interrupt into anybody’s private life, grief or distress unless
justified by overriding concern of the public interest.
7. Protects the identity of sources who supply information in confidence and
material gathered in the course of her/his work.

2. Mahfuza 1710
8. Resists threats or any other incentives to influence, misrepresent or suppress
information and takes no unfair personal advantage of information gained
in the course of her/his duties before the information is public
knowledge.
9. Produces no material likely to lead to hatred or discrimination on the grounds
of a person’s age, gender, race, colour, creed, legal status, disability,
marital status, or sexual orientation.
10. Does not by way of statement, voice or appearance endorse by
advertisement any commercial product or service save for the promotion
of her/his own work or of the medium by which she/he is employed.
11. A journalist shall normally seek the consent of an appropriate adult when
interviewing or photographing a child for a story about her/his welfare.
12. Avoids plagiarism.
In my opinion, 1, 2 and 6 are the most important. Number 1 is important because
the media and press should have the rights and freedom to express their views
and inform others on great public importance. Number 2 is important because if
false information is published, then it could lead to hatred and discrimination
against a group of people or individual. This could also lead to moral panic of the
audience and public because of the way the news is represented. Number 6 is
important because people should have the right to a private life, no matter how
much you hate them or no matter how famous they are. If you had cameras and
journalists in your face all the time then it wouldn’t be nice and it would be
stressful.
Source used:
https://www.nuj.org.uk/about/nuj-code/