In a world where we are berated with “breaking news” every minute, it is often left to the journalists to guide the public through the storm of information. While it is up to the citizen to take into consideration where the information they absorb is coming from and how they apply it to their lives, it is the responsibility of those reporting the news to provide the correct means to do so.
While there can never be completely bias-free journalism, a journalist’s primary responsibility is the public interest because reporters easily control the public discourse, they are held to a high moral expectation and provide the information citizens use to make decisions. This essay explores how this responsibility is upheld through the expectation of morality, control over what is discussed and provision of information, as well as how Canada stands up to the these tests of good journalism.
Journalists have a moral obligation to the public to provide accurate and unbiased reporting of nonfiction events and can be held accountable if they fail to acknowledge and set aside their own judgements before stating an opinion. This is because they are put in a position of trust between the public and the news source, and although no story can be completely objective, it is the journalists responsibility to ensure their stories are accurate and truthful despite their own beliefs.
Firstly, journalists have a ethical responsibility to their readers, and have to constantly re-evaluate what they are reporting on. They must be actively use their education and life experience and apply it to what they are reporting on. One source stated that “journalists have to use their judgement continuously. Their working lives are filled with decisions. Their behaviour relentlessly involves decision making – which stories to cover, whom to interview, which questions to ask, what to lead with, whether the story is fair, where a story is place in the paper, how big to make a headline, what TV footage to use. And those decisions constantly have an impact on the lives of other” (Russell, 2011). This proves that each step of the process must be reassessed to ensure that the journalist is accountable and correct, and that the expectation of morality is fulfilled.
As well, all journalists follow a basic ethical agenda, because “ethics are important to journalism” and “ethical behaviour is key to journalistic credibility” (Russell, 2011). When assessing their report on an event, they must filter their own judgements by reviewing the “Five W’s and H of Ethics” (Russell, 2011). This list covers what they must ask themselves, and includes the six questions: “Who gains or loses by this story? What principles collide, and what does it do for my credibility? When should this be published? Where should this be published? Why is my source saying or doing this? How was this material gathered and how was it corroborated for fairness and accuracy?” (Russell, 2011). By reviewing this list, it proves that journalist can satisfy their primary duty of serving the public by providing a reflective and ethical article that answers these integrity testing questions.
Journalists are also put in position of trust, and there must be a certain level of transparency between the public and the news source. This level if trust gives them certain freedoms when speaking, and they must be careful not to violate this freedom and lose their readers faith. In the article, The Virtuous Journalist, it is said that “Legal protections that permit irresponsible journalism do not imply that journalists have no moral responsibility. Quite the reverse is true: freedom from legal constraints is a special privilege that demands increased awareness for moral obligation” (Klaidman and Beauchamp, 1987). Although they may have freedom of the press, it does not mean that the journalists are free to report whatever they choose, but instead is defined as the “freedom to print and publish anything without interference or censorship, especially when regarded as a right” (OED Online, 2018). This shows that they have the right to publish what they want to, but have to monitor themselves and ensure they are serving the public first and foremost.
As well, the position of trust between the public and news source can be exemplified by social responsibility theory, because there are many concepts of what the press should be and do. This theory states that: “Freedom carries concomitant obligations; and the press, which enjoys a privileged position under our government, is obliged to be responsible to society for carrying out certain essential function of mass communication in contemporary society” (Siebert, et al., 1956). Some functions of the press under this theory include “maintaining its own financial self-sufficiency so as to be free from the pressures of special interests” and “safeguarding the rights of the individual by servicing as a watchdog against government” (Siebert, et al., 1956). These functions solidify the position of trust between the public and journalist by providing objective views and honest reports on various news topics.
Finally, they meet their expectation of morality by acknowledging and avoiding their biases before stating or publishing an opinion. Journalism fundamentally seeks to present news events as unobstructed as possible, and in Ian Hargreaves book, Journalism: Truth or Dare?, he writes that, “[Journalists] acquire, within [their] societies, a sense of right and wrong; they have, thank goodness, a moral compass learnt outside journalism. It is up to every individual to preserve that compass, to be true to their own and their community’s values” (Hargreaves, 2003). Although the idea of right and wrong can vary from person to person, and that the truth is not always accessible to people due to various restraints, from internal or external forces, the morality necessary to be a journalist aids in deciding what right and wrong is most applicable for the greater society in which they are writing for.
Journalists also hold a lot of power, as they control the public discourse and need to be able to provide fair and equitable coverage of the news, as well as adapt to different audiences and forms of media to serve the public appropriately.
Firstly, reporters need to deliver fair and impartial reporting of news that is inclusive of all aspects, such as race and gender. Since they are tasked with the circulation and production of information and news, they are responsible for ensuring that the ideas present benefit the greater society and do not offend or alienate a certain group within the community. One way that the news industry does this as a whole is diversifying the news rooms in Canada, as it allows an “increasing understanding of other cultures and values, and the fact that under the skin we all share the same journalistic values” (Russell, 2011). By having journalists that come from any number of social and ethnic backgrounds, it allows many voices and viewpoints to be covered in the media, which lessens the bias in Canadian journalism and allows for the impartial reporting to come more easily.
In addition, modern journalists need to adapt to multimedia presentations, and consider how these new mediums can affect the outreach of their work. Nowadays, most of what we do can be accessed through digital means, and Canadian Internet Registration Authority’s 2015 fact book find that “almost 70 percent of Canadians who have a smartphone are increasingly using it to access local and world news” (Drohan, 2016). Although our attention spans have dropped, and it is often thrown around that we base what we take in about the news on headlines, studies by the American Press Institute show that “longer items are still being read, even on mobile phones, although often they are saved to be read later on a tablet or desktop computer” (Drohan, 2016). This shows that journalists can still write the lengthy, investigative pieces that have helped them gain traction and credibility with their readers, but that they have to adapt their presentation of the truth by making it enticing enough to save and read at a later time. Tom Rosenstiel offered an interesting perspective on this, saying that “the traditional model for most news organizations mirrors that of a department store, which offers everything but does few things really well. ‘The web rewards specialization,’ he said. News outlets now have to look at what they do and decide which parts are indispensable and which bits others do better” (Drohan, 2016). This insight allows for scrutiny against news outlets, but still proves that they are adapting to the times and focusing on what they believe is most crucial to the public’s knowledge and demand.
Journalists are also responsible for the provision of information, and this is often noted as the reporters’ main objective, which is to provide the public with the evidence they need to make informed decision about their personal and societal needs.
Primarily, journalists are responsible for giving the public the right tools they need to make educated judgements against their government and uphold their civic duties. It is said that: “An informed public is central to good public policy and a well-functioning democracy, which is why freedom of the press is enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms” (Drohan, 2016). Since the journalists are the ones in charge of informing the population of the happenings in the world around them, “independent journalism, based on fairness and accuracy, still has a valuable role to play in democracy,” even in the modern age when those becoming voting age are skeptical and are inundated with information at all times. Journalism must remain objective and report accurate details about political parties in order to ensure that democracy does not become corrupt or driven by bias.
On the other hand, journalists are also responsible for providing the public with information that can impact their private choices, such as the products they choose or the lifestyles they lead. Although we live in a world where efficiency is one of the most valued things, Chris Waddell, a journalist and Carleton University professor, states that, “he is confident people will want to pay for information that helps them make decisions about their lives” (Drohan, 2016). This shows that people still rely on the news sources they feel they can trust, and are willing to invest resources into ensuring they have access to the correct information they need to be productive in society. Connecting back to the social responsibility theory mentioned previously, the functions of the press under that theory also apply here, as one is to “service the economic system, primarily by bringing together the buyers and sellers of goods and service through the medium of advertising” (Siebert, 1956). This connects to how people make decisions in their personal lives, because it states that although it accepts the role of the press in servicing the economic system, this “would not have this task take precedence over such other functions as…enlightening the public” (Siebert, 1956).
In reflection, Canada is doing fairly well when considering journalism worldwide, and “although much has changed and battered Canadian news media in the last few years, good journalism has survived in Canada and ethics have been maintain at the same high level” (Russell, 2011). When looking at a study researched by Lars Willnat, it is found that “journalists with the highest perceived job autonomy were from Australia, Canada, and Finland, where more than three-fourths claimed to have a great deal of freedom on the job, while the rest of the countries surveyed were at least 20% below Canada when considering perceived job autonomy” (Willnat, 2013). This shows that our society values freedom of the press, and our avoidance of censorship aids in media transparency and public knowledge. Even as times change, and the internet becomes the main source of information, there is “little evidence that the increasing urgency to please larger numbers of people to stay in business and pressure has constrained Canada’s investigative journalism” (Russell, 2011). Additionally, while many would assume the digitalization of news would cater towards efficient and easy coverage stories, it is found that “journalists from several countries, including Canada, now believe that interpretation is one of their most important roles, opposed to getting news out fast (Willnat, 2013). Overall, Canadian journalists still hold the public service at the highest regard and make it their primary mission to serve them adequately.
In conclusion, journalists main responsibility is to serve public interest, and those in the Canadian journalism industry represent this responsibility well. The expectation of morality is upheld through the accountability, position of trust they are put in and through the acknowledgement that bias occurs and actively researching to avoid personal judgements. The control over the public’s discourse is gratified by the need to provide equitable coverage of news and adapting to online forms of media. The provision of information is fulfilled through journalists providing the public with the means to make informed decisions about their personal lives and civic duties. All in all, through the research provided, it was proved that journalists in Canada uphold their duty to the public and take their needs into consideration as their primary obligation.