Unethical journalism impacts people’s lives

Unethical journalism

impacts people’s lives

”However, under time pressure, or when it is important to verify a story, congruence and relevance might end for guiding journalists and media also in their evaluation of a story as true or false. Exchanging newsworthiness for truthfulness can be even more likely for online outlets producing and sharing FAKES, … free from professional and deontological standards and/or mainly to get incoming traffic.”

- Darrel M West, 2001, The Rise and Fall of the media establishment -

In the past, journalists were supported by powerful news organisations, able to challenge and expose governments, institutions, and even global empires which they brought down in pursuit of the truth. Today we are witnessing the foreclosure of numerous local and international newspapers due to lack of profitability. On the other hand, some newspapers have been acquired by billionaires who have their own motives when it comes to sharing news with the public.

An alarming huge number of journalists and editors around the world engage in unethical practices to create sensation and sell papers or increase viewership. We have seen a new narrative beginning to form where there is very little accountability. Some reporting is done in a partisan way, or worse – simply telling lies. What has caused this paradigm shift of not covering the news as journalists did in the past? I am not sure, but in the place of ethical journalism, the media themselves have now become the story as a result of unethical practices.

Decline of conventional news media

The decline of conventional news media has broad implications. There seem to be no repercussions for journalists who propagate inaccurate information under the disguise of investigative reporting. Most journalists have become stenographers, transcribing what content is already out there - often repeating propaganda or fake news instead of creating actual content. In a post-conventional media world, people will start having different radical perceptions about basic truths. Many have referred to this phenomenon as ‘alternative facts’ where people have fundamentally different perceptions of real-world events, depending on the source of their news. The “establishment media” has taken over “with certain long-standing biases which promotes an existing system of governance and thought at the expense of objective perspective” (Darell West, 2001).

The impact of mainstream media on public perception is massive. It can include prompting us to react in a certain way, influencing individual views and beliefs or increasing a person’s knowledge. It can also reinforce or destroy an existing belief. Objectivity has mostly gone out of the window, and at best, we can say that opinions have become facts … and facts have become opinions.

The mainstream media has played a significant role in the spreading of fake news. The questions we should be asking are: • What role do mainstream media play in spreading disinformation and fake news? • Why do they GIVE coverage to it? And • What is the potential impact on their audience’s opinions?

Misinformation versus fact-checking

Addressing and answering the above questions would provide us with critical information to understand the rationale behind the spreading of misinformation instead of fact-checking. People should be informed about the paradoxical role of journalists and not be ensnared by their reporting of propaganda. Readers should expect better, and above all, the truth from journalists and the media. It is appalling how the mainstream media provides a stage where journalists deliberately, through their coverage (or sometimes non-coverage) of incidents and events, mislead their audiences and create toxic situations.

The role of the media is also that of watchdog. As a major influence of public opinion, the media has a choice to select stories that they consider to be interesting or important. Ethics is the benchmark to which we hold journalists, reporters, writers, and editors.

An ethical journalist will focus on three key areas, namely research, accuracy, and provide a forum for discussion. Proper research will empower the writer to transfer solid, accurate factual truths and avoid the spreading of fake news which is nothing less than propaganda.