Defining Ethical Issues in Journalism - Essay Example

Ethical issues in Journalism Ethics is set of rules in relation with values and morals that people follow in day-to-day lives. Ethics not only used for personal purposes but also in every individual’s career or profession (Angle 44). Journalism, as one of the professions, has also set of guidelines for better execution of the profession. In line with this, there are four fundamental ethics in journalism. These include “seek the truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, and be accountable” (U.S. Society of Professional Journalists 2). With each of these, there are more particular codes that need to be followed by journalists. Thus, violations of ethics and guidelines led to various ethical issues that journalism profession is facing today. This paper aims to discuss two ethical issues in journalism, which include bribery and extortion. Bribery and Extortion According to the Center for International Media and Assistance (CIMA), bribery and extortion are considered as the most crucial issue in journalism (Nyaira 300). Bribery means the act of accepting or offering some benefits either cash or kind to a certain employee or public servant. In journalism, it is called envelopmental journalism or accepting bribes in exchange for favorable media coverage. On the other hand, extortion is related to bribery, but the only difference is that extortion is the act of obtaining something like money by force or blackmail (Shava 4). Examples of Bribery An editor of a famous newspaper publication accepted money from a government official who committed corruption. The money serves a bribe instead of exposing the official’s wrongdoing; the editor wrote some accomplishments and projects done by the official to cover corruption issue. In this case the editor is not fair, honest, and accurate. Most of all, the editor did not act independently, which is a violation of ethics. Similarly, in Ghana, one of the journalists attended a press conference and inside his press packet, there was an envelope, which contained 20 dollars. The journalist simply put the bill inside his purse before going back to the office to write a news story. This situation is also unethical since the journalist did not act independently (Ristow 4). Examples of Extortion According to a report, Zimbabwe journalists already disregard ethics since their government already controls what news to write and how to write them. They are forced to do so since their lives are threatened. Politicians only speak to those media outlets they support (Shava). As a consequence, journalists no longer comply with principles of accuracy, fairness, and honesty in writing news stories since they are writing articles based on what is being instructed. Conclusion Ethics is very important in every profession. Journalism as one of the noble careers also has set of ethical principles which need to followed. However, not all journalists sincerely follow the principles of accuracy, fairness, and honesty as it affected by several reasons. Bribery and extortion have become the most crucial ethical issues in journalism. Journalists voluntarily accept bribes in exchange for favorable media, which is called bribery and others like in Zimbabwe, are forced to do so since they are threatened by politicians. Ethical Issues in Advertising Advertising refers “to any paid form of personal or non-personal presentation of promotional ideas, products or services by the use of media like TV, radio, magazines, newspapers etc by an identified person” (Kaptan 8). According to Yeshin, advertising is essential because it helps the people to select a particular product. Since it has a great impact on consumer behaviour, advertising like other fields also has a set of ethical standards, which need to be followed. Businesses need to be honest, fair, and straightforward in advertising products or services (American Advertising Federation 4). Violations of these will lead people to wrong direction. Nevertheless, not all companies comply with ethical standards since others only care for profits. This paper seeks to examine the two ethical issues in advertising, including puffery and controversial products. Puffery Puffery in advertising is defined as exaggerated promotional statements utilized by sellers with the aim of convincing clients to buy or avail a certain product or service. Businesses constantly make bias assertions about a particular product or service, which is inconceivable to validate (Chakraborty and Harbaugh 1). It has become an ethical issue because it only favors to the seller, and it deceives the buyer. For instance, TCBY, an international franchise yogurt chain based in the U.S. claims itself as the ‘the country’s best yogurt.’ Nevertheless, there is no evidence if the chain’s product is truly the best in the country. According to report, the company has not yet conducted surveys to gather evidences of their claims. Thus, claiming as the ‘best’ is just a puffery, which does not follow objective truth. This violates the advertising ethics, which supposedly promote products based on objectivity (Scott 4). Controversial Products These products are considered controversial because utilizing them is related the independence of the people. These types of products suggest that youth utilize them so that they can be considered as more adult. For instance, activities, such as smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and gambling are examples of controversial products. Companies are likely to present these products as the beginning of adult world (Frith 204). For instance, advertising cigarettes is banned in Brazil, Ghana, Albania, Panama, Vietnam, and Mauritius since advertising products that can harm health is considered as unethical (WHO 1). Likewise, it influences children to smoke as sign of maturity. In addition, alcohol is also an example of controversial product. Many companies use sex in advertising alcoholic drinks. They utilized women to help sell the alcoholic drinks so that their products will in turn be associated with women. This is considered as unethical since it destroys the reputation of women (Jones and Reid 215). Conclusion Puffery and advertising controversial products are examples of ethical issues in advertising. Puffery is unethical since it does not conform to advertising ethics, which is to advertise in an objective manner. Further, advertising controversial products, such as alcohol and cigarettes, is likewise unethical since it influence the youth; it is bad for health; and it destroys the reputation of women. Ethical Issues in Public Relations Public relations, like other fields, have also set ethical standards in serving clients. According to the Public Relations Society of America, there are core values the PR professionals need to adhere, including honesty, independence, loyalty, advocacy, expertise, and fairness (PRSSA 1). Thus, violations of these set of ethics will make the situation unethical. This paper will discuss conflict of interest and astroturfing as ethical issues in public relations. Conflict of Interest and Astroturfing Conflict of interest happens when a PR professional has another interest, which comes into strife with another responsibility. For example, a PR company accepts two competing oil companies. Due to conflict of interest, PR agency cannot equally provide quality service to the two rival companies. This situation is unethical, and it violated the values of loyalty and fairness (University of Oregon). Conversely, astroturfing refers to a practice of not disclosing the supporter of the message in order to appear that the message is coming from uninvolved grassroots player. For instance, a PR professional who serves an NGO client attended a council meeting, which discusses support of the NGO’s project without revealing their connection. This situation is unethical since the PR is not honest to the council (PRSSA). Conclusion Conflict of interest and astroturfing are both unethical in the PR filed. Conflict of interest is unethical since serving two clients indicates that the PR professional is not loyal and fair. Further, astroturfing is also unethical since hiding the PR agency’s connection to the public is a dishonest act. Ethical Issues in Entertainment Entertainment like music, movies, video games, etc. has been part of people’s lives. Weight argued that entertainment industry must comply with ethics. This implies that any form of entertainment must respect others, carry moral values, and must be decent. Nevertheless, many scholars argued that ethics in entertainment is lacking (83). This paper will discuss explicit sexual violence in movies and vulgar song lyrics as ethical issues in entertainment. Explicit Sexual Violence in Movies and Vulgar Song Lyrics Sexual violence in movies has received numerous debates in entertainment media because showing sexual acts is indecent and immoral. Example for this is the film titled Female Vampire. This film blends with horror and hardcore pornography where the actress kills her victims through sexual acts. This indicates violation of ethics as it does not respect the rights of women, and it does not entail moral values (Christians et. al 255). Conversely, vulgar song lyrics is also an ethical issue, especially that children and youth tend to mimic what is being constantly played in radio and other forms of media. For instance, the song titled Fuck you by Lily Allen is criticized as too vulgar, and it does not only influence the children and the youth but it also violates the conservative norms and moral values of the public (Jimenez). Conclusion Entertainment has been part of people’s lives, but ethics is not carefully implemented. Sexual violence in movies is considered as immoral, and it does not respect others. Further, vulgar song lyrics are also unethical since these violate the conservative norms of people. Works Cited American Advertising Federation. Principles and Practices for Advertising Ethics. USA: American Advertising Federation, 2013. Print. Angle, Chris. Defining Ethics Good and Evil. U.S: NetPub Corporation, 2004. Print. Sinclair, Upton. The Brass Check: A Study of American Journalism. USA: University of Illinois. Chakraborty, Archishman, and Rick Harbaugh. Persuasive Puffery. USA: Indiana University, 2009. Print. 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