Be fair:
fair does not necessarily mean nonobjective. It is almost impossible to eliminate any bias from a story as one must completely take their voice out of a story to do so (usually making the story somewhat dull). What fair means, to me at least, is that both sides of the story are represented fairly and accurately. I think there is a time and place for opinion in a story and it is likely to seep in anyways--whether the journalist is willing to admit it or not. I see nothing wrong with opinion as long as both sides were presented fairly and the writer is sure to emphasize the fact that he does in fact have a debatable preference, which leads me to the accountability and responsibilities of a journalist...
Finding and Reporting the truth:
The number one responsibility of a journalist is to find and report the truth. This means more than reporting what information falls into ones lap. Journalists must be involved in the extensive researching process which includes checking sources, contacting several types of interviewees to represent both sides of the story, and then writing the story in a way that accurately depicts the truth. To keep "find and reporting the truth" as one's focus, a journalist must also act largely as an independent.
Act as a Lone Ranger:
Most reporters have to act alone, as in they cannot be intensely affiliated with special interest groups or businesses to the point where it may sway the way they report about these things. Society is somewhat corrupt in the sense that journalists have been paid off not to print a story that might ruin a company's image or hurt a cause. Thus, good journalists must isolate themselves to an extent to avoid compromising the integrity of a story. Basically, Journalists have to sacrifice in order to live up to their creed to report the truth and to inform the public about issues they should know about.
Minimize Harm: If a story should not be reported or written in a way that is unnecessarily embarrassing, or hurtful or an individual. Journalists should never aim to attack a person specifically, if the person has been involved in a scandal their actions should be condemned, not them as a person. Only under special circumstances should a person's personal life be under scrutiny (such as when someone is running for a high public office, like president) and only then to a certain extent as everyone deserves privacy to some degree.
Take Responsibility:
Because journalism is so fast-paced, journalists sometimes mess up the truth rule by accident. When this happens, Journalists must take responsibility for their mistakes. An apology should be printed on a behalf of the mistakes made by the journalists in the last issue. The apology should correct the mistakes made and be placed in a visible part of the newspaper. As we learned from Spiderman, Journalists hold great power and can easily wield that power to mold the public's opinion. As we also learned from the movie Spiderman, with this great power (that journalists have) comes great responsibility.
Journalists have a hard job--they have to act alone, experience high-stress, pressure filled days, are exposed to a good deal of public scrutiny, and most people believe they are biased regardless of whether or not they are. However, we need good ethical journalists to exercise our first amendment rights to the fullest and stay informed and even make the world a better place.
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