A Short Philosophy of Media Ethics

Photo by Matt Rourke-AP-News Photographer Magazine, October 2008

In a liberal, democratic society, people in the media and news organizations should have a right to know everything their government does. The freedom of the press described in the first amendment constitutes an agreement of trust the American government has made with its people and to deny the right of information to any person under its control is a breach of constitutional contract. The news media should seek and report on anything the general public should know and the information should be given to them without conflict. Elected officials, military personnel and police should not have the right or even the desire to withhold the substance of their doings. After all, they are public servants. Their jobs are to serve the communities, states and country they govern and protect. Too often are members of the media shrugged away by police and officials, only addressed in hastened press conferences, public releases and phone calls when the “public servant” finds it convenient. Just as the people have a right to know what's going on in their government, the government should not have the right to keep information from them. The idea of free press is separate, however, from the right to privacy. Any American can retain information regarding personal matters or happenings on private property, but that does not abolish the press' right to ask. The distinction between the two forms of information is important because people of authority will often confuse the two when trying to avoid the media. For example, several news photographers were sprayed with pepper spray and arrested while photographing protesters outside the Republican National Convention held in St. Paul, Minn., in 2008. As many as 50 of the 800 people arrested during the protests were there covering the event for daily newspapers or television stations. As journalists were being arrested for simply doing their jobs, St. Paul police public information director Tom Walsh told a Reuters reporter, “At some point even a journalist has to recognize that they are in violation of the law and they have to make a decision—are they going to get arrested or are they going to cover it from a distance?” (News Photographer). Director Walsh's interpretation of the freedom of the press at best is skewed by his desire to keep the streets of St. Paul safe. The St. Paul police obviously did not understand the press' right to cover what was happening. Arresting a journalist for covering an event on public property is unconstitutional and police officers who assault and mistreat journalists should be taken to court for their actions.

The moral connections between the wider society and the functioning of the news media aren't always apparent to the general public, but they are something every good journalist considers in his training and throughout his career. The morality of the media is much like the morality of humanity. The media, however, are in a much more interesting position to display ethical decisions because their decisions are communicated in mass. The effects on society of an immoral news medium can be much greater than those of an immoral person. This is why journalists must be extra careful in seeing that their publications are truthful. The basis of journalism is telling the truth. Newspapers and other media do not lie to their audiences just as university faculty do not lie to their students. Being untruthful only lowers the profession's credibility and worse, infects one's character. It is important for the media to be as universally indiscriminate as possible in their work. Capitalist society tends to encourage a cutthroat style of business in which competitive proprietors will do whatever necessary to make the most profit possible. They will block, attack and devour each other until one remains to reap the rewards of the total population. The media are businesses as well, but they must not pick sides and promote coverage depending on where the most advertising revenue lies. Although it is costly and will not bring in the most profit, being fair, truthful and unbiased is the right thing to do. When money and obsession for wealth control the man or the medium, it no longer serves its purpose. Plato said it best in his collection of dialogues, The Republic, while quoting Socrates: “There can be no doubt that the love of wealth and the spirit of moderation cannot exist together in citizens of the same State to any considerable extent; one or the other will be disregarded.” (Republic). In the same way the man must choose his rewards, so shall the news medium.

A society that aspires to be democratic in nature includes values that promote fair treatment of all, with representation for all in its government. It does not favor an elite minority or mistreat many for the advancement of few. It provides just punishment for assailants of liberty, acts to end suffering of its people and seeks to improve quality of life for all under its control. The role the news media play in a socio-political system is one of connection. The media inform the people of what is happening in their society. They bridge the gap between the person and the people. They support the idea that everyone has a right to know what everyone needs to know. Media are a necessity to creating a society in which people feel that their government acts in their interest. Media expose wrongdoings, threats and problems so that people are aware of what can harm them and their society. This is why the American constitution, in its amended state, provides protection of the press. If there was no protection of the press and the federal and state governments were free to legislate against the publication and acquirement of information, then the connection would be broken and the people would not know whether their government was acting in their interest or not. Although the United States has had “freedom of the press” since the Bill of Rights' ratification in 1791, the news media have not always received the legal representation they are promised. In fact, Freedom House, an organization that monitors the world's press liberty, printed a report in 2008 that showed a slight moral decline in 2007 in American practice, stating “...there were continuing problems in the legal sphere, particularly concerning cases in which the authorities tried to compel journalists to reveal confidential sources or provide access to research material in the course of criminal investigations.” (Freedomhouse). Authorities demanding source and research information from the media is an infringement of the U.S. Constitution's first amendment. When regulations, restrictions, and limitations are forced upon the media by the government, the purpose of the press' freedom is not served.

Moral statements that guide the virtuous man do the same for the mass communicator. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is cliché, but serves as a moral basis for how a good journalist regards his audience. He would not be untruthful to them because he would not want them to be untruthful to him. He would not insult them in his work because he would not want to be insulted. Nor would he hide information, embarrass his subjects or change the meaning of a source's words. A good journalist earns his rewards and does not cheat or steal for them. A strong work ethic makes a journalist take pride in what he does and devote himself entirely to producing an excellent product. In turn, hard work from the journalist also earns him respect and admiration from his audience and builds a foundation for healthy, open relationships that allow him to get the best out of the people he documents. In judging media performance, one should look for a strong bond of trust between a news medium and its audience. Also, media should provide equal reporting over their coverage areas and never publish a story that is one-sided. Anyone who is trained to work for news media knows there is a defined moral and ethical practice to which they must adhere to if they plan on being respected or trusted as journalists. For news photographers, a big concern is image manipulation, which has been around as long as photography has. It is unethical to change the content of a photograph. Period. Changing the content of an image is the same as lying in a written story and it discredits the photographer, the publication and the profession. “What I am most concerned about is that there is a perception that viewers have come to accept the manipulation and don't believe what they see anyway,” said Kenny Irby, the visual journalism group leader at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Guide).

Most of all, journalism is a public service. It informs people, it brings them together and it gives them new points of view. No matter how wrapped up the news media can be in money concerns, subscription problems or advertising droughts, what matters most is the people and doing what is best for them. They are the reason journalism exists. They are the unending whirlwind of possibilities that journalists must come to know, respect and describe. If a news medium cannot survive without being untrue to its audience, then the news medium should not survive.

Bibliography

AP Guide. “The Associated Press Guide to Photojournalism” Second Edition. Brian Horton 2001. P. 39. McGraw-Hill Publishing.

Freedomhouse. “Press Freedom in 2007: A Year of Global Decline” Karin Deutsch Karlekar. Freedomhouse.org. 2007. Consulted February 9, 2009.

News Photographer. “You Are All Under Arrest” Donald R. Winslow. News Photographer Magazine. October 2008. P. 31. The National Press Photographers Association.

Republic. “Republic” Plato. 380-350 B.C.E. Barnes & Noble Classics. 2004. P. 272