Speaker: Adian White, Founder and President of the Ethical Journalism Network

https://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org

The origins of journalism ethics can be found in newsrooms in which, from the early 20th century, journalists began grappling with how to balance commitments such as truth-telling, minimising harm and independence. As scholarship on journalism ethics grows and becomes more theoretically sophisticated, journalistic practice continues to come under fire. The British press is hardly unique in its reputation for controversial newsgathering practices such as deception and intrusion, with the USA, Italy, and many Southern/Eastern European, Asian and South American countries also associated with morally questionable routines. The public’s trust in the press in established and fragile democracies alike has never been lower, while press freedom is under serious threat from corrupt governments, politicians and other powerful groups who object to the scrutiny that journalists provide. Audiences associate ‘fake news’ with poor and unethical journalistic practices such as fabricated stories, factual mistakes, clickbait, advertorials, biased journalism and other forms of media deception. This talk will focus on a number of issues that pose significant challenges to honest, ethical reporting.

Credit for image: Ethical Journalism Network