Although surveys have shown that journalism is one of the least trusted professions, I believe some of this can be explained by unethical journalistic practices while most of it is due to the public’s lack of awareness. To put my opinion in numerical value, journalism is one of the least trusted professions 40 per cent due to unethical journalistic practices and 60 per cent due to the the public not fully understanding the role of journalists. I chose these figures because I believe both parties do not evenly contribute to this fact; the public’s lack of knowledge has more influence on journalism being one of the least trusted professions than unethical journalistic practices.
Upon reading chapter 12 on ethics and professional responsibility …show more content…
She mentioned how she relies on the “News Room Policy and Standards Manual” to judicate complaints and make judgements. All policies come down to the basic principles that journalism’s first obligation is truth, its first loyalty is to citizens, the essence of journalism is a discipline of verification and that journalists should maintain independence from those they cover. I believe a major factor that causes a low public opinion of journalists is how readers are sometimes unaware of journalistic principles. Unethical journalistic practises such as being on deadline or not having proper training contributes to why the profession isn’t trusted but English points out that readers don’t understand that we’re coming from a place where we want to do good. There is a huge gap in the public not understanding the role of journalism and why it exists, which plays a large part in why it is one of the least trusted professions. Another important point that English makes is that every credibility study indicates that it’s the little things that matter to readers, thus we must take them seriously. She explains that readers make pleas of how stories are ruining their lives and the goal is to correct or update them instead of un-publishing or “deleting history.” English states that 25 per cent of …show more content…
The public’s notion is that journalists seek the story and not the good. As journalists, I believe we can change this notion by writing and reporting to the best of our ethical standards and abilities. Adhering to high ethical standards in not only the right thing to do – professionalism in reporting and presenting the news must also be incorporated. Journalists choose the right course by striving to be fair and using common sense, treating stories and subjects with respect, telling the truth and avoiding conflicts of interests and most importantly, realizing that their actions will reflect on the image of other
Upon reading chapter 12 on ethics and professional responsibility …show more content…
She mentioned how she relies on the “News Room Policy and Standards Manual” to judicate complaints and make judgements. All policies come down to the basic principles that journalism’s first obligation is truth, its first loyalty is to citizens, the essence of journalism is a discipline of verification and that journalists should maintain independence from those they cover. I believe a major factor that causes a low public opinion of journalists is how readers are sometimes unaware of journalistic principles. Unethical journalistic practises such as being on deadline or not having proper training contributes to why the profession isn’t trusted but English points out that readers don’t understand that we’re coming from a place where we want to do good. There is a huge gap in the public not understanding the role of journalism and why it exists, which plays a large part in why it is one of the least trusted professions. Another important point that English makes is that every credibility study indicates that it’s the little things that matter to readers, thus we must take them seriously. She explains that readers make pleas of how stories are ruining their lives and the goal is to correct or update them instead of un-publishing or “deleting history.” English states that 25 per cent of …show more content…
The public’s notion is that journalists seek the story and not the good. As journalists, I believe we can change this notion by writing and reporting to the best of our ethical standards and abilities. Adhering to high ethical standards in not only the right thing to do – professionalism in reporting and presenting the news must also be incorporated. Journalists choose the right course by striving to be fair and using common sense, treating stories and subjects with respect, telling the truth and avoiding conflicts of interests and most importantly, realizing that their actions will reflect on the image of other