How to Be Ethical As a Journalist
Being a journalist comes with its perks and fringes. However, there is one thing you need to remember if you remember nothing else: Be ethical. Reading this article will teach you how to be ethical as a journalist.
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Instructions
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Seek and report the truth. Professional journalists should be honest, fair and courteous in news gathering and reporting. The following things should be taken into consideration when gathering and reporting news: check the accuracy of all information and take necessary steps to avoid error, identify your sources when applicable and do not plagiarize are among the many things you should take into account.
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Minimize harm and risk. Professional journalists should treat their sources and colleagues as humans and respect them. Lack of respect in any field, especially communications, can leave you jobless. A few things you should keep in mind when it comes to respect are: compassion, good taste, do not be arrogant, sensitivity and caution are among the things you should think about.
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Be independent and accountable. One thing that stands out about journalist that may not be so obvious in other careers and those things are independence and accountability. Professional journalists should not feel obligated to interests other than that of your employer and the public's right to know. Also, journalists need to be accountable to their readers and colleagues. As a journalist, you should: avoid conflicts of interest, not accept gifts or anything of monetary value (other than your salary) in return for a story, admit your mistakes and correct them in a timely manner and always report in a clear, professional and timely manner.
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Tips & Warnings
Being in journalism or in any other part of mass communications requires you to be ethical. Not being ethical can lead job and career loss and possible tarnishing of your reputation.
Resources
- Photo Credit Image Courtesy: Angelingo
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Comments
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judithwellner
Jun 06, 2010
I very much agree with your points on accountability, independence and not accepting gifts. It's worth mentioning what "reporting the truth" means. Truth is not an objective reality. Being as truthful as possible means looking at events from many different angles and double-checking the facts while not losing our sense of integrity. Journalists are bombarded with press releases on a daily basis. It is important to realize that press releases are often written by public relations / marketing / business professionals and are not objective resources. So, even if I decide to follow up on a story, I will have to find all the details that are not mentioned in the press release. All the information that does not come from the original pitch but is discovered through accurate research.
