Dissecting Journalistic Decorum in the Digital Age

As the newspaper industry weathers the upheavals wrought by modern technology and 24 hour cable news continues to blur the line between tabloid gossip and real reporting, it is all the more important for university journalism departments to impress upon students the importance — even the necessity — of journalistic ethics. In the Information Age, the line between what is acceptable reporting and what is not often becomes murky; academic concepts of ethics can seem quaint and irrelevant in the real world of news reporting. The most effective journalism programs blend case studies with concept and theory, giving students an opportunity to think deeply about the role of ethics in modern reporting.

When reporting a crime, to what extent must news organizations protect the alleged victims? In theory, victims’ rights should be tantamount in any journalist’s mind — but the story about the alleged rapes perpetrated by members of Duke University’s lacrosse team presented a wide range of thorny ethical problems. ABC News faced many tough decisions in the course of reporting this story — including whether or not to broadcast photographs of the party at which the alleged rape occurred.

The Internet further complicates the role of the serious journalist. News organizations have lost considerable power as the arbiters of what information is released to the public and what is withheld. If photographs or videos are going to be uploaded by non-journalists anyway, should news organizations publish or broadcast them as well — even if they are incendiary, misleading or potentially harmful to innocent victims? Does putting oneself «above the fray» and adhering to time-honored journalistic standards make a journalist or news agency seem irrelevant?

There are also many cases in which reputable journalists — rushing to meet their deadlines — have used online sources such as Wikipedia without checking the web page’s references. What online sources are credible and what are not? Even if a journalist checks the references of a Wikipedia entry, how does he or she know the references themselves are credible? How far does fact-checking have to go before a story can be deemed credible?

Many news agencies seek to enhance the appeal of their web sites with journalist blogs — a medium that tends to blur the line between personal opinion and objective reporting. A journalist for the Bakersfield Californian had to weigh this issue when her editor asked her to blog «informally» about her day to day experiences covering a complicated murder trial. To what extent could such an assignment enhance or harm the credibility of the newspaper and the reporter?

The dangers of reporting from a war zone or blowing the whistle on a billion-dollar industry make for exciting stories themselves, bringing the world of journalism to life for those endeavoring to enter the field.

Methods and theories are as important as ever in the journalism classroom, but as the information the public receives becomes increasingly problematic, students need specific case studies to illuminate the complexities of being an ethical reporter in an all-too-often unethical world.

For more information on journalism case studies, visit  http://www.journalism.columbia.edu