Title: 14.3 News Media and Ethics – Understanding Media and Culture
Headings: 14.3 News Media and Ethics
14.3 News Media and Ethics
Learning Objectives
Immediate News Delivery
Social Responsibility of News Media
Present News Stories That Inform and Serve the Needs of Citizens
Present Issues Fairly
Present Stories in a Way That Addresses Their Complexity
Present Diverse Perspectives
Monitor Government and Corporations
Characteristics of Reliable Journalism
The Effects of Bias in News Presentations
Key Takeaways
Exercises
References

Content: The initial story is then followed quickly by commentary from both professional news organizations and nonprofessional sources on blogs, Twitter, and other social networks. As a result of this restructuring, certain stories may get distributed, replayed, and commented on almost excessively, while other stories go unnoticed and in-depth coverage that would unearth more facts and context gets neglected. This has led a number of industry professionals to become anxious over the future of the news industry. The Center for Excellence in Journalism has called the news industry today “more reactive than proactive (State of the Media, 2010).” Journalist Patricia Sullivan complains, “Right now, almost no online news sites invest in original, in-depth and scrupulously edited news reporting.” 2 While some may disagree with Sullivan, in-depth journalism remains an expensive and time-consuming venture that many online news sites, faced with uncertain revenue streams and a growing consumer demand for real-time news updates, are reluctant to bankroll extensively. Already strapped for funds, news organizations know they have to cater to public demands, and foremost among these demands is speed. When pop-music icon Michael Jackson died on June 26, 2009, at 2:26 p.m., news of his death hit cyberspace by 2:44 p.m. and soon spread nationwide via Twitter. Surprisingly, the initial report of Jackson’s death was released by celebrity gossip website TMZ. Legacy news sources were slower to publish accounts.