The Laws and Ethics behind Journalism

This week's topic regarding the legal and ethical dilemma's surrounding journalism was both interesting and heavily debated. Edward Spence (2005:3) stated that ethics are ‘a set of prescriptive rules, principles, values and virtues of character that inform and guide interpersonal and intrapersonal conduct: that is the conduct of people toward each other and the conduct of people toward themselves.” Each person will make different ethical choices during their career. When discussing recent events that have been published, it became obvious that ethics, just as much as legal reasoning, must be taken into account firstly.

Examples we discussed in class were issues like Milton Orkopolous, Minister for the Labor Party back in 2005, having his private life and secrets exposed to the public. The ethical reasoning behind publishing such as story which would undoubtably ruin his reputation and career were highly founded. Those reasons behing that charges were made, and later he was sentenced, regarding child sex offences and drug offences. During discussions, ethical reasoning was that it was in the public's interest because he was an authority figure and leader and his behaviour was not up to par with his responsibilities. Also the nature of his crimes were deamed necessary public information.

Other issues we discussed were not so ethically sound. For example, Tania Zaetta has recently settled a lawsuit against the owners of the Daily Telegraph for wrongly publishing "Defence gossip". The accusations against Zaetta were not in the public's interest, were unfounded and predominantly sexist. The argument was made that if a male performer had sexual relations with a female troop, the story would not have been published.
Thus ethical reasoning is necessary and can lead one out of legal harm.

Truth and Objectivity in the Media

Today I watched an unexplainable piece of three minute footage broadcast on Channel 10. The piece began with a 20-something girl driving a Nissan Micra to an interview with a 3-piece girl band. As the "reporter" got out of the car she grabbed her high heels from the storage compartment under the drivers seat. A helpful arrow pointed to the draw with a printed "super storage" explaining the handy feature. The "reporter" asked the band members what they wouldn't live without. The girls gave these answers: the Internet, music and "my ipod". The interviewer than flashed her own ipod, demonstrating how her iPod fits perfectly into the glove box of her Micra.

This "interview" was obviously not design to plug purely the band or the festival they are playing at; but predominantly the very "hip" Nissan Micra. These camouflaged advertisements are not only deceptive to their audience, they spark the debate; is there any truth in journalism?

Payment Plan for Online News: Murdoch charges

Week Six Seminar Report

Rachel Morris announced that Rupert Murdoch will start charging for online content within the next 12 months. In her seminar about Online Journalism today, Morris stated that News Corporation will abandon a ‘malfunctioning business model’. This move suggests that Murdoch has identified the changes occurring within the media industry.

Since the emersion of newspaper in the 17^th Century, they have created a huge impact on government, social change and fashioned an increasing demand for instant gratification. No doubt this need for instant news and entertainment lead to the success of broadcast mediums; radio, television and now the internet. Perhaps Murdoch’s new payment plan is a sign of the shift from traditional journalism to online journalism.

The Internet has significantly changed the media industry; Morris suggests that online journalism has created the ‘multi-skilled journalist’. Today’s graduates need to be trained in photography, audio, video and website development whereas traditionally the key focus was quality writing. These skills are inherently linked to the audience that is increasingly evident on the computer screen.

Within 2009, as Morris asserted, concepts such as convergence and citizen journalism were acknowledged. Media companies such as News Corporation have engaged in convergence by supplying their readers with additional online information. The trend from paper to online has created the citizen journalist. With the incline of online news and the decline in newspaper subscriptions, the cost cutting hasn’t been surprising. However, even the lowest budgets can afford a citizen journalist, and many are.

Quoted by Morris, James Murdoch stated, in a 2008 debate, that “we live in today, societies that are constantly connected.” This connection makes it harder to market and harder to sell a product. However, selling news to a generation that is predominantly online seems too easy. It is undoubtedly obvious that Murdoch’s move will be duplicated and predictions for an online news world seem quite founded.