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Needed: An Ethical Press
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13967 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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2 / 1988 |
3,298 Words |
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John C. Merrill
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Journalists in the United States who enjoy bashing everything and everybody in sight are beginning to get growing amounts of their own medicine. The spotlight of criticism is being focused on them and the media they serve.
As the media grow in power and as they cling to their self-designation as a "watchdog on government" and other self-enhancing labels, they increasingly indulge in what many people consider irresponsible or unethical practices. In their mad rush to meet deadlines and what they see as their prime responsibility "to let the people know," American journalists have been pushing ethics out of the picture and enthroning expediency and self-interest. Many critics would contend that "ethical journalism" in today's world is really oxymoronic.
Whether ethics and journalism are contradictory terms or not, it must be said that a considerable degree of unethical activity exists in the press. And often this activity is poorly reported, if at all, because of the press's natural self-interest and its capacity for controlling the news and having the last word.
Certainly the American media must be commended for their alertness to governmental and social immorality and questionable activities. Such media attention does, no doubt, help to keep society "honest" and "careful"--at least to a certain degree. But the media also need to look to their own houses; they themselves must have a greater resolve to be ethical--if for no other reason than to improve their negative image among a skeptical public.
The "watchdog" is frequently off its ethical leash in the United States, no longer satisfied with watching and barking. An angry, snarling press--at least in the eyes of many--is running amok throughout the land, bullying and even biting anyone who happens to be near. By and large the press feels justified in such an adversarial role, especially as it relates to its great protagonist--the government. After all, the legend goes, the press must represent the people vis-à-vis the government; it must keep the government honest, and it must make sure that the sovereign people have proper information to rule themselves.
In so accepting this responsibility, the press must periodically use somewhat unethical tactics. But the job must be done, the public informed, the dark spots lighted, the villains revealed. This, say the press people, is not always a pleasant job; it is not always clean and neat. It often hinges on questionable practices; it often tends to invade privacy and bring emotional distress--and occasionally it ends a political career, affects foreign policy, and frustrates nominees to the Supreme Court.
From time to time, excesses? Invasion of privacy? Use of machiavellian tactics? Faulty decisions? Dogged persistence? Of course, say the press people, but all this is part of the business of journalism. After all, is not the press a "watchdog on government"? And the main job of the press is to expose culprits, especially in government, and to "let the people know." These important rationales for much press activity on the borders of ethics need a little closer scrutiny.
The press as 'watchdog'
The "adversarial
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