Do We Need Ethics in Media?

By: Sarah Jones


Yes, of course we do. Recently, ethics is something that the media hasn't been doing well with. In the fast-paced world we have now found ourselves in where we can find anything in a matter of seconds has hindered the media's job of getting useful information out to the public. I think the news and brand industry has become so obsessed with being the first ones to break a story or use relevant trends in an ad that it often forgets what its objective was to begin with. It's the media's responsibility to give people the truth, and it's important to do that with integrity and honesty, and I just feel like it has strayed from that. It could be because the media is trying to gain readership, or viewers but it should be going about that in a manner that gains trust instead of driving people away.

An example of media ethics is when the New York Times released the street name of Officer Darren Wilson during the Ferguson coverage. There was a heavy debate on whether this was unethical. The Times had also included a photo of Wilson's marriage license which some people thought had contained the exact address, however it ended up being an address to a law firm. The Times removed the photograph, but what was still an issue was in the actual article the reporter named the street that the couple lived on. So while the exact address remained unknown people would still know the name of the street. It's a common practice to include the name of streets in news stories; however, in a case like this where it's a very high-profile story I think it's unethical to give out the street name. Even though the Wilson's had left their home they would in theory come back at some point and even if the story had blown over for the most part there still could be some threat to the couple. This is an example how the media needs to make ethical decisions on a case-by-case basis. Each situation is different and it's important to look at each carefully to determine how ethical it would. In this case it would be unethical because of the safety involved. No matter what happened or who was at fault personal safety should still be a priority. It's also just another example of how news outlets are in a hurry to be the first to get a piece of information out to the public, or spin a high-profiled story in a different direction first.

With the recent Brian Williams scandal it's a great example of why ethics is needed. Williams made a mistake when recounting a story that he covered 12 years ago. In the story he told it the way it happened, but over the years since then he has changed it to seem like he was in the helicopter that was shot at. While he did apologize for the fabrication something as serious as war shouldn't be misrepresented. The people who have never been in war don't know what it's like to be in combat, and it's the media's job to give people a sense of what soldiers have to go through. Many thought it wasn't appropriate for Williams to make it seem like he went through it when he didn't. It's disrespectful in a way for the men and women who have gone through it for him tell a terrifying tale that didn't happen to him. While it was Williams' job to give people at home an accurate depiction of war, it's not something that should be messed with and where ethics should be a major factor. It's hard to trust someone after they've made a fabrication and because the media is often looked upon as trusted sources for news it should be held to a higher standard for responsibility with information.

The media has such a wide audience that watches daily and I think it's important to think about everyone's thoughts and feelings that could be affected by what is being reported or said on a certain subjects. You can't please everyone, but it's also important to think of others before thinking of getting ratings or readership. At the end of the day we're all just humans and we deserve honesty and integrity above all else.  It's important to remember, in media or business, the decisions you make effects a lot more people than just yourself. The people you are talking about have loved ones that could also be hurt by what you say. I think everyone needs to remember to look at the big picture before making an ethical decision, and at the end of the day it's your conscious that needs to be okay with the decisions made.