ENG 398 Fall 2017 Writing Assignment: Ethics in Journalism

Ethics in Journalism
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Ethics in Journalism
The media is often said to be firmly grounded in ethics, and there are even ethical principles which help to dictate how journalists should conduct themselves. Some of the principals of ethical journalism include truth and accuracy, fairness and impartiality, independence, accountability, and humanity. However, do all journalists adhere to the above principles and report impartially while still conducting accountable journalism? This question is course for further debates and endless conversations. The media has of late been accused of unprofessional behavior and impartiality on several occasions. While some have been accused of withholding the truth, others have been accused of siding with certain factions to further subjective opinions. This begs the question, what does ethical journalism entail? In their book, media Ethics Goes to The Movies, Howard Good and Michael J. Dillon decided to use several movies to elucidate on certain moral circumstances appertaining to the media. One of the movies they used is called 12 Angry Men, and while it may not be direct, this movie does contain some complex lessons with regards to ethical journalism. While few in the media will agree, media prejudice is real, and it does impact and influence perception. By expounding on how the movie 12 Angry Men exposes media prejudice, this article seeks to provide a comprehensive account of journalistic responsibilities within the moral or ethical lines.
Much like the law, unless individuals decide to consciously take responsibility for their roles and actions in executing and reporting facts, the media will indeed lose all of its credibility. Phrases such as the truth is what you can prove are not the epitome of man’s creativity but only words concocted to help people cheat and ignore their responsibility to the truth. While some people thrive on such, others are worried that humanity is slowly depleting its moral code and gradually retrogressing. 12 Angry Men is based on a teenager who was accused of killing his father after the two had an argument. As the story progresses, one cannot fail but empathize and sympathize with the state of the world today. The story is indeed reminiscent of many cases witnessed in the world today and where facts are slowly maligned and made to seem irrational while unreasonable scenarios are made to seem true. In the story, the young man is eventually exonerated, but the movie does leave one with a lot of questions than answers. Is the media upholding its responsibility to the truth, do “citizens possess the intellect, dispassion, discipline, and sense of duty to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship” (Good and Dillon, 91) when called upon, and what does responsible journalism or ethical journalism entail?
Reporters give accounts of events based on what they hear from witnesses and rarely on what they see unless during live events. However, accounts from witnesses have often shown lapses, and on most occasions, two witnesses will have different accounts of the same story. Ultimately, with issues of deadline and the need for a ‘killer’ story, most reporters consider the evidence in their hands and forward a ...