The Effects of the Legal and Ethical Issues in Contemporary Journalism
Journalists are expected to follow a strict code of conduct in order to provide truthful and unbiased information.
The main role of a journalist is to provide subjective, factual and reliable information to the public.
However, due to many factors such as, the rise of Web 2.0, this has become increasingly difficult.
This has meant that a variety of ethical codes have been introduced.
“Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press” — Thomas Jefferson (1786)
Although journalists must remain subjective, freedom of speech and freedom of the press is extremely important to democracy.
What Are Ethical Codes?
Here are some of the many ethical codes and potential legal issues in which journalists must consider:
1) Defamation
2) Privacy
3) Accuracy of information
4) Independence
5) Copyright
6) The access and use of public records
7) Third party comments and protecting sources
8) Publication bans
9) Conflicts of interest
As you can see, there are many factors to consider as a journalist.
Therefore, at times they can make mistakes. Nobody is infallible.
However, the consequences of these mistakes depend on the severity, but can lead to a loss of career and even imprisonment.
The Increase of Fake News
The rise of Web 2.0 has affected journalism in many ways, both positively and negatively.
However, there is no doubt that there is a correlation between the increase of fake news and the rise of social media usage.
The use of social media has ensured that censorship is a thing of the past.
In fact, the exact opposite is happening, whereby the internet is a gateway to infinite information.
This has meant that not all of the information provided online is always accurate.
‘Prosumers’ can post and share anything they like, whether it may be true or false.
“Social media is the most popular type of online news, used by 44% of UK adults” — Ofcom (2018)
This has led to many misunderstandings as fake news travels fast.
An example of these fabricated stories includes misleading information about devastating incidents such as, the Grenfell Tower fire and the London Bridge terror attack.
Although online sources lack reliability, it has also become one of the most common ways in which journalists gather their information and sources.
If you are interested in journalism, click here to watch an insightful YouTube video which outlines the five core values of journalism.
