An Example of Unethical Practices in the Journalism Field

An Example of Unethical Practices in the Journalism Field
Introduction to the Case of the Events
The case study encompasses an illustration or example of unethical practices in the journalism field. Gabriela Miranda, a journalist at USA Today, is responsible for the accusations of conducting inaccurate, unreliable, and irrelevant reports after the organization had audited her reporting work. The case study specifies specific actions that the organization regarded as unethical when carrying out journalist-related duties. For example, the organization could not verify other persons quoted and regarded them as fabricated. The investigation found that Miranda was determined to deceive inspectors by generating false proof of her news. Additionally, the case study revealed that the journalist’s articles had been eliminated from the website to avoid continuing to mislead the audience. Some of these removed articles are “The reaction of women in Ukraine to the Russian invasion” and “Texas’ ban on abortion after six weeks.” Specifically, USA Today got rid of 23 total articles from the company-based website (Mullin & Robertson, 2022). It argues that the previously published articles failed to meet the stipulated editorial standards. Due to her allegations, Miranda resorted to resigning from her journalism duties as the firm’s reporter. The management concluded that they struggled to be truthful in their content and admit the mistake realized (USA Today News, 2022). The organization vowed to continue strengthening its reporting and editing processes.
Relevant Ethical Issues at Play
The case study presents many journalism-related unethical issues that significantly violate the requirements of ethical journalism, including the breach of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Code of Ethics, which govern its members on how to report news sufficiently, accurately, and, most importantly, diligently. First and foremost, it is unethical when a journalist does not seek the truth before reporting it. Mullin and Roberton (2022) report that some of Gabriela Miranda’s stories comprised quotes that must have been credited to other authors. This indicates that truthfulness was lacking in her reporting since she mainly relied on other sources she did not credit. The USA Today journalist did not demonstrate reliability in her reporting due to many elements in the case study. For example, her information was not fair and accurate for audience consumption. The New York Times realizes many fabrications connected to the journalist’s work. Her work does not show courage and honesty in her information collection, reporting, and interpretation. Again, the journalist is not responsible for her work’s accuracy and does not validate her data before releasing it for publication. The investigation outcomes indicate inadequacy in original sources’ utilization. She does not acknowledge the sources she uses in her articles, which makes them incorrect for the public, who are designated to more accurate, reliable, well-covered, and sufficient information.
Secondly, accountability and transparency are lacking within the case study. Lacking transparency makes Gabriela Miranda, a repor...