A look at journalist ethics as we move into the digital age

A look at journalist ethics as we move into the digital age Author: Cillian Donnelly 6 March 2011 - Issue : 925 Under pressure to provide 24/7 coverage and job losses, times are difficult for journalists. |UN Ethical journalism is not some form of abstract notion, but a very specific responsibility that needs to be taken on by media outlets and authorities alike. Delivering a lecture on Ethical Journalism and Human Rights,Aidan White, Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said there needs to be more of debate about creating the space for ethical journalism to exist as we move rapidly through a changing media landscape. The lecture, commissioned by the Council of Europe (CoE) is the first in a planned series. Introducing the talk, Thomas Hammarberg, Human Rights Commissioner at the CoE, said that journalism should not be taken fro granted in its ability to expose human rights abuses throughout the world. However, he said that it was important not just to see journalists as “megaphones” for human rights workers, despite the work of journalists often moving in parallel with that of human rights activists. But, warned Hammarberg, journalist can often lay the foundations for abuse themselves, such as when they spread a xenophobic message. The question of freedom of expression, he said, will “not just be resolved by a hands-off approach by governments”. Freedom of expression is not the same as freedom of the press. Freedom of expression “can be decent or indecent”, says White. “Professionalism in journalism is framed by the ethics of journalism. It is constrained expression, not free expression”. Journalist, according to White, need to take that added responsibility. But the press itself is in crisis, with commercial interests often taking precedence over investigative reporting, a situation which often leads to the recruitment of untrained staff, “a peripheral workforce to fill the economic space”. Economic cuts are weakening newspapers, minority voices often get squeezed out. “Inside journalism, the pain of change is evident”, says White. Reflecting the concept of ethical journalism in the current climate is undoubtedly difficult, which is why a comprehensive debate is needed now, says White. Truth, independence and accountability are essential for a functioning, free media, but “sometimes a code of conduct is not enough”. Wary of legislative interference in journalism, White suggests that sometimes a form of “co-regulation” is needed to help frame the area in which journalism operates. “Much of the regulation of the media around the world is out of date”, he says. “It is in one continuous stream, but there should be different regimes for different media, for example, for TV and print. And who are the bloggers?” But soft regulation should not be taken as “manifesto fro policy”, instead be seen a a way of educating about the role of journalism. White stops short of calling on a mandatory system of regulation, instead suggesting the possibility of a “Europe-wide think tank” to analyse the regulatory hurdles that need to be overcome in the digital age. “Do we need guidelines for bloggers?” he asks. “But we do need to look at what is appropriate and what is inappropriate. We need a complete review, a new narrative in journalism and government. We need a new debate”.