37 Front Street File: Ethical Practices a Foundation for Quality Journalism, Public Trust
The world of journalism often sets out to ascribe how ‘things ought to be’ in tersely-worded absolute truths. The traditional canons of ‘prove first’, ‘publish second’, ‘use multiple sources’, and ‘remain transparent’ echo as loud in today’s digital-first environment as they did during the industry’s ‘great awakening’ in the 1960s and 1970s.
But what happens when the application of industry practices go from being cast in simple black and white to being muddled by murky shades of grey?
Welcome, friends, to the challenging and complex world of journalism ethics.
Although often portrayed in style guides as neatly manicured walled gardens, the practical application of journalism standards and ethics is much more akin to an endless string of rolling hills.
Earlier this month, at the Canadian Association of Journalists national conference, NNC staff took part in an ethics seminar that reinforced this very point.
The session leaders distributed about a half dozen sticky scenarios to a room full of participants. They ranged from negotiating terms of an interview with a key source; to taking visuals of a sacred Indigenous ceremony; to whether sponsored content should be used, and if so, how it should be properly labelled.
The discussion was, in a word, lively. What was remarkable was the degree of nuance presented by the participants. Instead of simply determining between what is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, the discussion centred on an exchange of ideas, where concepts such as ‘accuracy’, ‘fairness’, ‘independence’, and ‘accountability’ were weighed against each other and put into every day practice.
Given today’s plethora of media voices and choices, I found this discussion particularly heartening because it reinforced the multiple roles the NNC can play in building a stronger Canadian media industry.
By providing a forum where thorny ethical situations can be discussed on an ongoing basis, the NNC acts as a mediator for its industry members on new and emerging challenges. As a public institution, by contrast, the NNC acts a conduit between the journalism industry and those in the public who don’t fully grasp how news is made.
Over the past few months, this message is increasingly taking hold. As you can see at the top of this newsletter, we continue to welcome new forward-thinking members who believe that ethics, and a commitment to transparency, can act as a common foundation to challenge unfounded allegations of ‘fake news’.
Nevertheless, we’ve also come to realize that some organizations only discover the NNC during the heat of a crisis.
That’s ok, too.
Regardless of how you find us, when you need our help or advice, we are always here to provide help or advice. We’re just a phone call or an email away. We aren’t going anywhere.
- Brent Jolly, Director of Communication and Community Manager
