Rules are good. We might not enjoy having to obey them, but they keep us out of trouble. They keep us in line. It is only when we step out of the boundaries of ethics and morals, do we realize we have broken the law. The key for any beginning journalist is to first understand the rules and guidelines that govern them in the professional world of media law.
Read more to learn how offensive language, copyrighting, maintaining sources, and much more can affect your journalism career before it even begins.
*If you have a book that needs editing before you send it out to a literary agent, you can contact me on my SERVICES page. I will respond within 24 hours.
Ethics of Offensive Tastes
Maintaining tact is crucial if a journalist wants to keep their media outlet afloat. Depending on what your audience allows, publishing gruesome images and foul language within your newspaper or your website may be restricted at times. There is an ethical zeitgeist out there that polices what is allowable and what is offensive. And it is always changing. Whereas 60 years ago it was taboo to swear in a newspaper (it still is), modern times have loosened up a bit allowing expletives (that do seldom show up) to not have the same shock.
Through the years, societal experiences have toughened up audiences. Swearing has become more common on regular television channels and films have brought riskier images and language. Times are changing.
That being said, there still are ethics the media must abide by. If not, fines and other penalties are likely to appear. Therefore, an editor and journalist must work together to decide how, why and when such possible offensive moments should take place in their productions.
Use the instances below to gauge your ethics:
Filthy language
Most times, to play it safe, editors will not use profanities or hurtful remarks. Swears or racially-based words are off-limits. Even if it is a quote from a source, an editor may not use the actual quote but instead choose to paraphrase.
Unethical Subject Matter
As badly as editors want to publish rude issues, they routinely don’t. They must maintain the prestige their media outlet is known. (Some exceptions would be tabloids and other media outlets whose ethics are rather so loose their prestige involves entertainment rather than news reporting.) Sensitive topics about sex or controversial images might not be used at all, and if they are they will be watered down to keep integrity.
Disputes with Business Associates
“Don’t bite the hand that feeds you!” is a good slogan to remember when publishing. The last thing an editor should do is to include advertisements or articles that promote a rival company of someone who already advertises in your outlet. You would think that the more the merrier, but if a company is paying you to advertise for them they expect you to do business with them and only them. They will take their business elsewhere if they think your ethics are suspect.
Copyright Ethics
What does it mean to have something copyrighted?
It means that it forces a journalist to produce original work. Period. It is as simple as that. This is a good thing. The majority of editors and journalists take pride in their works and won’t even consider reproducing what someone else has written.
Before the Internet, copyrighting was somewhat easy to control. However, with millions of websites and social media dominating nearly every facet of our lives, copyrighting has become difficult to monitor.
If you are interested in using another person’s work, I suggest you get their permission first. It doesn’t matter if it is an image, a video, an article, etc. If it is not yours, you need to make sure the owner of the work knows you are using it. And try to get their permission in writing so they cannot play dumb later on.
I realize sometimes it is necessary to use another person’s work, but first, always try to create your own content. This ensures that no copyright laws have been breached and your credibility as a legitimate journalist is still high.
For a quick lesson about copyright ethics, click here.
Ethics or Not, Trouble is Always There
The public tends to have a misconception about us journalists. They might think that we have a safe career. Sometimes we do. Most times we don’t. In fact, working in the media can be quite dangerous sometimes. We come face to face with aggressive people who prejudge us, and who will lash out at journalists who pry. The good news is that the more you do it, the better you will get at handling the power of journalism.
Because, let’s face it, journalists, at times, have power over someone. The information you find could save a person from death row or put someone there. Sometimes, just being a reporter present in a stressful situation could lead to a journalist’s arrest or resignation.
Here are a few examples to scare you:
Media Bias
While practically every other person on earth gets to pass judgment, a journalist cannot and should not. A journalist is strictly there to present facts and never take sides. Taking sides is not your job. Unless you are a blogger or columnist or in a position where your opinion is warranted then I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself.
If you do not heed these words, then you risk your viewers or readers. Your audience will catch on immediately if you apply your opinion–regardless of how subtle you make it. They will pick up on your tone, your keywords, your body language, even the things you don’t say. Being a news reporter demands an unbias outlook that very few other jobs allow.
Playing a Source
This boils down to self-destruction for a journalist. You may not destroy yourself now, but if you get a reputation as a lying, conniving reporter who has no problem selling out a source for your own personal gain, believe me, you will not last. Nobody will want to do business with you.
Sources are vital for a journalist and should be treated with respect. All the time. A source is giving you information that you are not able to get otherwise. So, why would you burn down what you have?
*A source can come in many different forms. A source isn’t a man hidden in a shadowy alley that gives a journalist secret info to a politician’s affair (although sources do sometimes take those forms). It can be someone you are interviewing, a neighbor you have small talk with before you go to work, or a family member you see at monthly barbecues. A source can come in any form and provide you the information you can use for your news reporting. Treat sources with the highest regards or else they will cut ties with you.
The Imaginary
Another pitfall a good journalist should stay away from is fabricating events or quotes. Basically, lying. The public will investigate every little thing you say or write down, so it better be true or factual.
One of the most shameful acts a journalist can do is make up stuff that isn’t true just to get a story. It goes against essentially every facet of journalism. You are there to report the news, not invent it. Leave the creative writing to the fiction authors. Journalists have lost their jobs and have been ridiculed out of their journalism careers forever because they used fiction to tell a non-fiction story.
The Right to Free Press
I already detailed many of the important points brought forward by the First Amendment in a recent blog post.
It is easy to view the media, these days, as deliverers of fake news and who are part of an American element out to smear anyone who gets in their way. But, at its core, the media is a positive entity. Without the free press, politicians and wealthy corporations and many others may have the ability to act without impunity. Without the press to investigate them, who would? It would turn to anarchy.
Thankfully, through years of legal battles and hard work, journalists have maintained respect. This is largely due to its legal protections for their sources.
Privilege
Because journalism is so crucial to the structure of America, journalists benefit from the system sometimes. Their work, if published without libel, is protected.
Journalists are able to report without consequence any and all information gathered from any government meetings. This goes for any quotes, facts, or off-color remarks said by any people attending those meetings. This is called the fair report privilege.
Another benefit is the ability to publish an opinion. I mean, where would anyone of us be without our opinions? The media can write virtually anything–as long as it is a genuine opinion not leading to libel. That is the key. If a journalist writes for the resignation of a neighbor, it is purely an opinion, and therefore cannot be held accountable for libel, most times.
However, if your written opinion states that another person is factually guilty of a crime, you had better back up your claim with some solid facts. If not, they could win a legal battle in court for your unfounded opinion.
Check out my previous post about bloggers staying clear of defamation claims here.
Journalists also have privilege from publishing opinions about popular figures, like celebrities and politicians. This is called fair comment privilege.
The Privacy Protection Act is another gift that journalists can use to stay out of trouble. Basically, this act protects media from the police from demanding that you give them your notes from interviewing a witness in a crime. They cannot obtain a search warrant or raid your residence. Although, there is an exception. If the police have information that you, the journalist, are involved with a crime or are in danger because of the crime, then officials have the legal right to take your gathered information.
More than half of states have shield laws that protect journalists from testifying in court because of their involvement with a case. Testifying is not a duty that many journalists enjoy. It forces them to divulge information they have gathered from sources that trusted them. Testifying in court doesn’t hinder the progress of a journalist, but it could lead to the reputation destruction of that specific journalist. Releasing private information makes you look bad.
Thank God for shield laws. Still, if a journalist chooses not to testify and keep his or her source clean, then the journalist will probably face jail time. So, ethics abound, you will have to make a decision. Do you keep the privacy of your source and head to jail or do you give up your source and ruin your reputation?
If you are looking for more information about media content, copyediting, or writing techniques that will improve your skills, you can go here.
*If you have a book that needs editing before you send it out to a literary agent, you can contact me on my SERVICES page. I will respond within 24 hours.
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Get edited. Get published.
~M