Dr Mohamed Kirat
By Dr Mohamed Kirat
Since the advent of the popular press and yellow journalism in late nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century in America, critics have been concerned about the ethics of the press. Sex, crime and violence were since then the main themes of most news and entertainment. Today the media are inventing reality and fabricating what the people are reading, watching and listening to. The media have been used extensively by those who control public opinion to reach their objectives. The media work within a framework of set agendas, values and ideology to manufacture consent and maintain the status-quo. Observers and scholars are not happy with how the media is reporting wars, conflicts, public affairs…etc. Many of the problems nations and peoples around the globe are facing are due to stereotypes, manipulation, distortion and misinformation.
Media ethics is more of a decision-making process than anything else. It is a daily practice, it is a way of thinking, viewing things and acting. The concept, the understanding, the environment, the culture of the country are important factors determining the ethics of a profession that has been under fire since its early days. The ethics of journalism is one of the most well-defined branches of media ethics, primarily because it is frequently taught in schools of journalism. Journalistic ethics tend to dominate media ethics, sometimes almost to the exclusion of other areas.
Topics covered by journalism ethics include: News manipulation, news can manipulate and be manipulated. Governments and corporations may attempt to manipulate news media; governments, for example, by censorship, and corporations by share ownership control the editorial policy of the news media. The methods of manipulation are subtle and many. Truth may conflict with many other values and be a victim during wars, conflicts…etc. Public interest is a term which is not easy to define at all, but widely used to manipulate the news. Publication of private life of celebrities is not necessarily justified simply because the information is true.
Privacy is also a right, and one which conflicts with free speech. Fantasy is an element of entertainment, which is a legitimate goal of media content. Journalism may mix fantasy and truth, with resulting ethical dilemmas. Photo journalists who cover war and disasters confront situations which may shock the sensitivities of their audiences. The ethical issue is how far should one risk shocking an audience’s sensitivities in order to correctly and fully report the truth. Journalistic ethics may conflict with the law over issues such as the protection of confidential news sources. There is also the question of the extent to which it is ethically acceptable to break the law in order to obtain news. For example, undercover reporters may be engaging in deception, trespass and similar torts and crimes.
Ethics involves what is right, equitable, dutiful, responsible fair, and just. Ethical practice is as important in media as it is in any other walk of life with high levels of public impact. Generally, a discussion of ethics involves ethical traditions, religious traditions and moral principles.
Some would argue that ethics cannot be taught — a person is either ethical or is not ethical. While it is true that a sense of ethics may vary in strength from person to person, a complete lack of ethics or compassion is considered to be a symptom of mental illness. When we are confronted with an ethical dilemma, we often use a combination of ethical tools to understand the situation and judge what is best to do. We think about our duty, about the impact on other people, about whether an action is virtuous or just or potentially prejudiced.
Understanding the range of ethical tools helps us approach ethical challenges in a more thoughtful way. These philosophical traditions in ethics have emerged in various eras of human history. Outgoing, communitarian people may be more concerned with the greater good of the whole group, while introspective people may be more concerned with personal liberties. The question is also cultural: Generally, eastern cultures are more community-oriented, valuing harmony over individualism, while western cultures cherish individual liberties — quite often at the expense of social harmony. In either case, these orientations are not mutually exclusive.
Nearly all people and societies have at least some concern for both individuals and communities. Either of the two orientations, taken to the extreme, can produce social dysfunctions.
An extremely libertarian society may have great inequities in wealth and resources. An extremely communitarian society may stifle freedom and initiative. All professionals have specific ethical codes based on long tradition. Probably the best known is the Hippocratic Oath in which a physician vows to abstain from doing harm.
Similarly, the Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics says that the media should “minimise harm” and have “compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage.” Reporters, editors, broadcasters, advertising executives and others in the mass media need to understand and rely on ethical codes to guide them. Journalists are ethically bound to seek the truth, to act independently and to serve the public interest.
The best overview of media ethics comes from the 1947 Hutchins Commission on Freedom of the Press. The commission found five basic pillars for all media: The media should provide a truthful, comprehensive and intelligent account of the day’s events in a context which gives them meaning. The media should serve as a forum for the exchange of comment and criticism. The media should project a representative picture of the constituent groups in the society.
The media should present and clarify the goals and values of the society. The media should provide full access to the day’s intelligence. Journalism has a very strong ethical code, including prescriptive advice to seek the truth and report it; to act independently; and to be accountable. It also has proscriptive advice, such as minimise harm, don’t plagiarise, don’t take money from sources, don’t lie, and don’t be afraid of criticism.
To wrap up, one can conclude that the issue of ethics in journalism is more than codes of ethics, professional associations and training and continuing education. The problem is complex given the fact that the journalist confronts from time to time some conflicts of interests and some situations where it’s not an easy task to take a decision whether to side with this party or the other one or with the truth.
(Dr Kirat is a professor of Public Relations and Mass Communication at the College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University.)
The Peninsula
By Dr Mohamed Kirat
Since the advent of the popular press and yellow journalism in late nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century in America, critics have been concerned about the ethics of the press. Sex, crime and violence were since then the main themes of most news and entertainment. Today the media are inventing reality and fabricating what the people are reading, watching and listening to. The media have been used extensively by those who control public opinion to reach their objectives. The media work within a framework of set agendas, values and ideology to manufacture consent and maintain the status-quo. Observers and scholars are not happy with how the media is reporting wars, conflicts, public affairs…etc. Many of the problems nations and peoples around the globe are facing are due to stereotypes, manipulation, distortion and misinformation.
Media ethics is more of a decision-making process than anything else. It is a daily practice, it is a way of thinking, viewing things and acting. The concept, the understanding, the environment, the culture of the country are important factors determining the ethics of a profession that has been under fire since its early days. The ethics of journalism is one of the most well-defined branches of media ethics, primarily because it is frequently taught in schools of journalism. Journalistic ethics tend to dominate media ethics, sometimes almost to the exclusion of other areas.
Topics covered by journalism ethics include: News manipulation, news can manipulate and be manipulated. Governments and corporations may attempt to manipulate news media; governments, for example, by censorship, and corporations by share ownership control the editorial policy of the news media. The methods of manipulation are subtle and many. Truth may conflict with many other values and be a victim during wars, conflicts…etc. Public interest is a term which is not easy to define at all, but widely used to manipulate the news. Publication of private life of celebrities is not necessarily justified simply because the information is true.
Privacy is also a right, and one which conflicts with free speech. Fantasy is an element of entertainment, which is a legitimate goal of media content. Journalism may mix fantasy and truth, with resulting ethical dilemmas. Photo journalists who cover war and disasters confront situations which may shock the sensitivities of their audiences. The ethical issue is how far should one risk shocking an audience’s sensitivities in order to correctly and fully report the truth. Journalistic ethics may conflict with the law over issues such as the protection of confidential news sources. There is also the question of the extent to which it is ethically acceptable to break the law in order to obtain news. For example, undercover reporters may be engaging in deception, trespass and similar torts and crimes.
Ethics involves what is right, equitable, dutiful, responsible fair, and just. Ethical practice is as important in media as it is in any other walk of life with high levels of public impact. Generally, a discussion of ethics involves ethical traditions, religious traditions and moral principles.
Some would argue that ethics cannot be taught — a person is either ethical or is not ethical. While it is true that a sense of ethics may vary in strength from person to person, a complete lack of ethics or compassion is considered to be a symptom of mental illness. When we are confronted with an ethical dilemma, we often use a combination of ethical tools to understand the situation and judge what is best to do. We think about our duty, about the impact on other people, about whether an action is virtuous or just or potentially prejudiced.
Understanding the range of ethical tools helps us approach ethical challenges in a more thoughtful way. These philosophical traditions in ethics have emerged in various eras of human history. Outgoing, communitarian people may be more concerned with the greater good of the whole group, while introspective people may be more concerned with personal liberties. The question is also cultural: Generally, eastern cultures are more community-oriented, valuing harmony over individualism, while western cultures cherish individual liberties — quite often at the expense of social harmony. In either case, these orientations are not mutually exclusive.
Nearly all people and societies have at least some concern for both individuals and communities. Either of the two orientations, taken to the extreme, can produce social dysfunctions.
An extremely libertarian society may have great inequities in wealth and resources. An extremely communitarian society may stifle freedom and initiative. All professionals have specific ethical codes based on long tradition. Probably the best known is the Hippocratic Oath in which a physician vows to abstain from doing harm.
Similarly, the Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics says that the media should “minimise harm” and have “compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage.” Reporters, editors, broadcasters, advertising executives and others in the mass media need to understand and rely on ethical codes to guide them. Journalists are ethically bound to seek the truth, to act independently and to serve the public interest.
The best overview of media ethics comes from the 1947 Hutchins Commission on Freedom of the Press. The commission found five basic pillars for all media: The media should provide a truthful, comprehensive and intelligent account of the day’s events in a context which gives them meaning. The media should serve as a forum for the exchange of comment and criticism. The media should project a representative picture of the constituent groups in the society.
The media should present and clarify the goals and values of the society. The media should provide full access to the day’s intelligence. Journalism has a very strong ethical code, including prescriptive advice to seek the truth and report it; to act independently; and to be accountable. It also has proscriptive advice, such as minimise harm, don’t plagiarise, don’t take money from sources, don’t lie, and don’t be afraid of criticism.
To wrap up, one can conclude that the issue of ethics in journalism is more than codes of ethics, professional associations and training and continuing education. The problem is complex given the fact that the journalist confronts from time to time some conflicts of interests and some situations where it’s not an easy task to take a decision whether to side with this party or the other one or with the truth.
(Dr Kirat is a professor of Public Relations and Mass Communication at the College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University.)
The Peninsula
