Broadcast Ethics

Broadcast Ethics at WFUN
Mark Haryslak
JRN339
Prof Angelo
April 20, 2011

Journalistic ethics are the guidelines created which assists journalists in deciding what the right thing to do is. These moral principles of professional conduct ultimately make the journalist more aware and concerned, and yet it still allows the journalist to hold on to a sense of freedom their writing. The power of the press is one of the basic foundations of democracy promoting and safeguarding its core values. The following paper will discuss in detail an ethical code of conduct for a fictional TV news station called WFUN. The essay will include discussions regarding some of the most important ethical standards including; seeking the truth, remaining objective and non-bias, public trust, integrity, and freedom.
The press plays a pivotal role in society and its influence for exceeds mere entertainment value, and it is the foundation of any democratic society. The ethical standards of journalism, for the most part, are self-enforced by the news media individual that allows them certain standards which they can judge actions to be right or wrong, bad or good, responsible or irresponsible. This is an extension of the morality of the journalist which forces them to consider their basic principles, values, and their obligations to themselves and others. Journalists have the power to hurt, rather than help the freedom of its citizens. With that being said, journalists have a duty to self and others and they are not simply writing for others, but they are writing for self-expression complete with truth and ethics.
The biggest concern for ethics is it forces the journalist to commitment and to thoughtful decision making which will heighten their authenticity as a journalist. Journalism, whether print or TV, is all about providing citizens with accurate and complete information regarding social or political events. Their aim must remain selfless and sacred in order to educate the public on these meaningful and weighty measures. Additionally, journalists must guard against unnecessary or needless deception and to fully understand the special needs of the public. At times, the news media are ethically forced by procedure which results in journalists asserting power inappropriately and giving up moral standards all together.
With that being said, the code of ethical conduct facing the journalists at WFUN must start the Society of Professional Journalists “code of ethics” preamble. Dale Jacquette (2007) writes:
Members of the society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Society’s principles and standards of practice (p. 282).
The First Amendment of the Constitution suggests free speech and free press are the cornerstones of our nation. Journalists must strive to protect these freedoms and report independently and accurately. The news reporters at WFUN must remember their first priority is to the public. They must seek the truth, report it fairly and with integrity, and remain accountable for the words or actions. This will allow the public to develop trust and credibility towards WFUN. Even in diverse communities, these ethical codes must guard against oversimplifying the issues or events. This will allow the general public to make meaningful and cerebral decisions regarding the news broadcast. Public trust cannot be compromised at any point and the journalists must make sure the public’s business or needs are conducted in public.
The first important ethical code of WFUN is to make sure its news employees pursue the truth and present the news accurately and completely. Authors Brooks. Kennedy, Moen, and Ranly (2008) claim “Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information. Journalists should test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible” (p. 533). All facts must be careful reviewed, along with credible sources which allow the journalist to present their story free of distortion and falsehoods. An example of implementing this code of ethics would be to rely on your true investigative reporting skills and reframe from writing stories that may contain holes, like falsely identifying a suspect in a murder case based on hearsay.
These holes only make the journalist’s credibility weak and the story lacking complete truth. Professional journalists should never report anything that may be false or made up. The “I heard this or that” has no place in professional journalism and definitely should not air on WFUN’s newscasts. This inaccuracy will only lead to embarrassment, ruined reputations, and perhaps, lawsuits.
The next code of ethics for WFUN involves objectivity and remaining non-bias in reporting and writing news stories. To writing news stories objectively is to do so without expressing personal opinion or bias toward the news events. The station’s viewers are attracted by the truthful accounts of contemporary public affairs. True professional journalism deals with the scholarly perspective, not individual bias. A few examples of modern mainstream news bias are when stories lean toward a certain political agenda or party, corporate bias based on advertising, and desire to report on what every other news station is reporting in order to avoid stories that might offend anyone. Although the degree of media bias differs from area to area, media bias hamstrings the reporter’s true ability to accurately report the news. This includes government censorship which ultimately disallows the reporter’s perspective on a sensitive subject like war reporting. Authors Stowall and Mullins (2006) write “When most people think about news bias and the news media, they are likely thinking about some kind of political bias” (p. 110). When government purposely censors news, the First Amendment of free speech and press cease to exist and democracy becomes an argument of semantics.
An example of media bias is when the government downplays the evidence of opposing war casualties, namely citizens. The press has a right to inform its citizens on the horrid nature of war, but when government censors the story the facts are more biased toward the government’s personal agenda. When the real information is omitted due to government censoring, it creates more of a disharmony of journalists’ ethics. It also becomes disturbing to the viewers who are part of a story or who are seriously interested in it. The news director at WFUN must aggressively pursue the appearance of objectivity and make sure their news reporters’ words are free of personal bias and remain opinion free. The next code of ethics the news station must incorporate deals with integrity or character. In order for a reporter to display integrity they must strive to report news with decency and avoid real or internal conflicts of interest. They must constantly be aware of outside pressures, like payoffs or accepting gifts. News directors or staff must never pay subjects or sources that have a vested interest in a story. The news reporters must adhere to higher moral principles and professional standards regardless of the stories they are reporting on. Integrity is the backbone of ethics. This ensures the station’s ability to remain transparent which allows the public to decide for itself whether to believe the story is sound and honest. When a reporter has to pay or receives gifts such as Super Bowl tickets from a professional sports team, the reporter is throwing his integrity out the window.
Another example of WFUN’s integrity involves their photojournalists. Take the station’s photojournalists for instance; their images must be real and not digitally enhanced. If they are not real, than the news station has a lot of questions to answer. This is a gutless and self-serving way of manipulating the truth threw image augmentation. Falsely staging a photo or video shoot can only damage the integrity of the photographer. It can also have an effect on the written news story as well.
Authors Owen and Purdey (2009) write:
Photojournalism is not the place for the vain and ambitious…If photojournalism is in a crisis it is not one of money and magazines but one of honour and integrity. Photography, like writing or broadcast journalism, is fairly straightforward. What make some photojournalists exceptional are not their artistry but their point of view and the conviction and integrity with which they deploy the language of storytelling. Artistry and style are important tools but without storytelling substance they are insufficient (p. 82).
When photos from the Middle East show citizens’ bodies burned or decapitated, one often wonders if the images are staged. If this is the case, there has to be a question of propaganda which impedes the flow of honest news information. It also leaves a void in the news consumer’s mind which can attack the integrity of WFUN or any news outlet.
The final journalistic ethical code to mention deals with overall freedom and the ethics involved with it. WFUN must understand freedom is the ultimate form of independence in any democracy with liberty and justice for all. As mentioned earlier, the First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech and press. This allows the press to act as a watchdog of the government, and this makes it the fourth branch of government. But with freedom there comes responsibility.
Today more than ever, there are real threats to journalist’s freedom. These subtle and insidious risks compromise journalists’ ethics on a daily basis and include censorship, unreliable sources, and media bias to name a few. All too often, reporters lose their focus of morality by a process in which a reporter is taught to accept newsroom policies according to the needs of the public. Better said, the everyday professional journalist’s main concern is the risk of becoming so close to and dependent on reliable sources, named or unnamed that they tend to lose their critical perspective. For WFUN, this becomes a disease that can eat and destroy the true professional privilege of news gathering and broadcasting.
Authors Christian, Jacobsen, and Minthorn (2009) state:
For better or worse, some sources who possess important information of great public significance will speak to a journalist only if they are promised confidentiality. And the use of confidential sources remains an important means for reporters to uncover the news. Such sources make available to the public more than a sanitized “spin” of government and corporate press releases (p. 372).
For WFUN, this is situation that needs to be fully understood in order to remain completely ethical. All too often, journalists use unidentified sources which can affect the stories true message of validity and truth. An example of this would be if a source, perhaps a college professor, felt it was necessary to inquire about the journalist’s story on him to proofread and check for accuracy. The freedom and independence ethics suggest that this is a no-no in the world of journalism and the reporter must refuse the request. This policy enables the news outlet to flex its ethical muscle, thus protecting journalistic freedom.
There will always be a concern of ethics by professional journalists whether employed by WFUN or another news outlet. A journalist that has concern obviously cares about ethics indicates an attitude that embraces both freedom and personal responsibility. It also indicates the journalist’s desire to unlock morals and norms for action that guides principles that make their occupation most meaningful and satisfying. Journalistic ethics, like the ones mentioned throughout the essay, forces the journalist to commitment and thoughtful decision making in the harshest areas of news reporting. This will force the journalist to consider his or her basic principles, values, and obligations to himself and to others. It, ultimately, forces the journalists to decide for themselves how they will live and how they will conduct their journalistic affairs. After all, journalists are not just writing for the consumption of readers, they are writing as a form of self expression and this puts their true moral being into their journalism. This will only help to heighten the authenticity of the person and, better yet, the journalist.
In conclusion, the ethics mentioned in the essay will help to cement a cognitive and cerebral plan which all media employees at WFUN must adhere to. Whether it be earning public trust, seeking the truth, remaining objective, having integrity or understanding press freedom, the journalist must focus on the ethical standards in order to remain a competent and ethical member of the press.

References Brooks B. S., Kennedy G., & Moen, D. R. (2008). News Reporting and Writing (9th ed). Boston, MA: Beford St. Martin 's.
Christian, D. J. (2009). Associated Press 2009 Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Jacquette, D. (2007). Journalistic Ethics Moral Responsibility in the Media. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.
Owen, J. & Purdey H. (2009). International News Reporting, frontlines and deadlines.West Sussex, UK: Wiley Blackwell.
In Stovall, J. G. (2006). The Complete Editor (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

References: Brooks B. S., Kennedy G., & Moen, D. R. (2008). News Reporting and Writing (9th ed). Boston, MA: Beford St. Martin 's. Christian, D. J. (2009). Associated Press 2009 Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law. New York, NY: Basic Books. Jacquette, D. (2007). Journalistic Ethics Moral Responsibility in the Media. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc. Owen, J. & Purdey H. (2009). International News Reporting, frontlines and deadlines.West Sussex, UK: Wiley Blackwell. In Stovall, J. G. (2006). The Complete Editor (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.