Evolution vs. Extinction

Traditional journalism values and ethics have provided a steady moral ground from which the journalist begins his work; it is the basis of many a first year journalism student’s theory lessons, it is the start of a code of conduct for any publication, and they were the basics from which broadcast ethics and laws stemmed.

Kendyl Salcito of the Centre for Journalism Ethics (www.journalismethics.ca/online_journalism_ethics) states that ‘journalism is evolving rapidly in a “mixed media” of traditional newspapers and broadcast stations combined with a “new media” of on-line journalists’- thus our ethics and laws must evolve with the advancements of journalism technology.

Traditional Values
Traditional values of truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability have become almost optional extras for some online ‘journalists’ (aka self-made journalists, citizen journalists, etc)- the reason for this? A combination of increased competition and the fact that the web creates endless opportunities for everyone to ‘be a journalist’ means that the quality of news reporting has decreased. A rise in so-called ‘journalism of assertion’ as the result of a lack of restraint (or perhaps not knowing any better) by online writers has led to unsubstantiated opinion, one-sided reporting, compromised accuracy, and a lack of credibility. Who or what is a journalist when anyone can publish news- or should that be ‘news’?
Gate-keeping
The answer seems to lie in gate-keeping, but systems of rules and editorial checks are steadily degrading
because media are adopting online platforms and stretching editorial gatekeeping too thin in an effort to provide 24/7 news coverage. Traditional gate-keeping is not the most effective solution, as the news is no longer provided purely by journalism institutes. No gate-keeping = problems of accountability and credibility, and no credibility= ‘journalists’ and not journalists.
However, more lenient gate-keeping does have some positive effects; increased public access as a result of interactivity leads to greater diversity of content, as well as more resources for the writer, and an increase in platforms for the, once passive, audience to respond. Reduced gate-keeping also means that major news organizations have less power to set the news agenda or manipulate the public’s understanding of events.
The future
So how do we maintain traditional ethics and values, successfully employ new laws and ethics, as well as ensure that some levels of gate-keeping are upheld? How can we encourage experienced journalists, as well as the new generation of self-made ‘journalists’ to respect and value traditional news values and ethics online? Can we successfully replace institutional accountability with self-censorship? It seems this is a necessity that must take place before we can remove the ‘’ from the masses of ‘journalists’.

For more information on online journalism ethics visit:
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/wiki/ethics/
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/wiki/
http://www.journalismethics.ca/online_journalism_ethics/gatekeeping.htm
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=117350
http://www.journalism.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=199&Itemid=181