Lies, bribery, corruption and the downfall of ethical journalism…
13 December 2011
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(57 votes, average: 4.98 out of 5)Loading...Ancil Payne, the former CEO of KING Broadcasting, who died in October 2004, was widely mocked when he established The Payne Awards for Ethics in Journalism to recognise journalists who demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to ethical conduct. But the closure of Britain’s Sunday tabloid, the News of The World, at the heart of a phone-hacking scandal that has rocked UK journalism, only goes to demonstrate how right Payne was to recognise the importance of journalists’ commitment to ethical conduct.
The News Of The World Closure The Bridge MAG image
Objectivity in Journalism
( Key Concepts in Journalism)
Not only in British reporting, but the reputation of journalism as a whole has been compromised – leaving very little trust and credibility towards a profession once considered noble.
It takes time to build up trust between the public and journalism – and once achieved, that same trust can be lost forever in the blink of an eye. Real journalism can be very challenging because, although journalists should be free to report a story without censorship, they also need to remain accountable for what they print or broadcast.
This dual concept – freedom matched by responsibility – can be compared with the proverbial knife which cuts both ways. In order to negotiate the challenges involved, reporters must integrate ethical responsibility as an inalienable principle of their professional integrity, regardless of any economic, personal or political pressures they face.
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)included duty within his third version of the “categorical imperative” – a concept with of much relevance to journalism. It reads: “Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only”.
Kant’s mantra is in accordance with widely recognised standards of journalistic ethics – which forbid reporters from using threats, force or deception to obtain information, other than in the most exceptional cases related to the public interest.
In strictly commercial terms, it is hard for the ethical reporter to compete fairly with his or her peers, when they routinely use bribery to persuade the police to leak sensitive information or actively hack into individuals’ private voicemails to fish for a ‘scoop’. In the News of the World case, journalists allegedly hacked into, and deleted, the voicemail messages of Milly Dowler, a murdered 13-year-old schoolgirl, as well as those of victims of crime and terrorism, and the relatives of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to the world’s largest journalism professional association, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), which boasts 600,000 members globally, the scale of the scandal represents…
Follow the links below to read more:
1) Soft & Hard News Global News That Never Fades: The Bridge Magazine Book – From Britain’s News to World Exclusives
https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/rachel-tcheungna/soft-hard-news-global-news-that-never-fades-the-bridge-magazine-book-from-britains-news-to-world-exclusives/paperback/product-r2dywj.html?page=1&pageSize=4
2 ) Global News That Never Fades: From Britain’s News to World Exclusives.
https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/rachel-tcheungna/global-news-that-never-fades-from-britains-news-to-world-exclusives/paperback/product-ennmdm.html?page=1&pageSize=4
Rachel Tcheungna, Author, Writer of
The Bridge Books and
The Bridge Magazine Editor.
intresting ,seems theres much we dont get to hear or dont bother nice writting
Dear Colin,
Many thanks for your kind words and comments
Very best wishes.
Rachel
Thank you for being our teacher on this subject matter. I enjoyed your own article quite definitely and most of all enjoyed the way in which you handled the aspect I widely known as controversial. You happen to be always quite kind towards readers like me and help me in my life. Thank you.
Dear Vivian,
Thanks ever so much for your comment, your kind word and the useful link.
Very best regards.
Rachel
Journalists have a special duty within society, as the critical and analytical eyes and ears of the public at large. This is especially so at this time of economic crisis, with cost-cutting in newsrooms and increased political and financial pressure on media companies.
However, as you illustrate here, we do have the internet, as yet unfettered. And while such access may not provide bread on the table or pay the mortgage, it does mean that censorship — a growing problem — can be circumvented; that a global, internet-linked community can be informed of matters many powers that be wish kept secret.
Of course there are other cases such as the NoW. The Sun in the UK being an example, although from the same Murdoch stable. And we will always have compromised, bribed and unethical individuals posing as journalists. It is also the role of those who qualify to be judged as journalists to expose such individuals and those whose interests they serve.
This is no easy task and it often seems thankless, but it is one that must be accomplished if the concept of freedom of information is to mean anything. And the free flow and constant critical analysis of information is essential because, without an informed and aware public all manner of confusion and manipulation can exist, giving rise to such horrors as xenophobia and racism; to intolerant political ideologies that lead to ethnic cleansing and more covert, but no less obscene, repression and violence.
Dear Mr Bell,
Many thanks for taking time to email me and for your comment on my article on Ethics Journalism at The Bridge MAG.
Embarking into Journalism is a long journey where I consider any single second as a challenge and a learning curve.
I welcome comments, compliment, criticism, and warning as an opportunity I should grab to learn and better my self at what I have chosen to do; not only from junior or well experienced senior journalists but also from the
readers.
Thanks ever so much for your comment.
Very best regards.
Rachel.
Yоu can definitely see your expertise within the article you write.
The sector hοpes for more paѕsionate writers such as
you whο aren’t afraid to say how they believe. Always follow your heart.
Dear Josefa,
Many thanks for your kind words.
With best wishes.
Rachel
Thanks for sharing your info. I really appreciate your efforts and I
am waiting for your next post thank you once again.
Dear Shawn,
Many thanks for your comment
With best regards
Rachel
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