Responsibility of Media

Media Ethics

In a democratic society such as ours, the role of the press is to gather, structure and Disseminate accurate and comprehensive information on matters of public interest—Information that the public needs in order for democratic life to continue. Any constraint on or hindrance to these activities infringes on the public’s right to information.

Freedom of the press also flows from the fundamental freedoms of thought, speech, expression and opinion enshrined in various national and international laws, charters and declarations.

 The press should inform, lead, educate or guide people. Generally there was no distinction between inform and educate and a lot of the times it was mentioned in the same sentence. A majority of the journalists said the press should change and influence people’s mind. The press should be, as one journalist in a state owned newspaper explained, like a loud mother. 

The press should stand between the people and the politicians.

One of them used the expression “watch-dog”, but the others rather talked about how the press should bring pressure upon politicians to change things in the society.

OBLIGATIONS OF THE PRESS

The roles according to the journalists were to inform, educate and guide the society for the better. Furthermore they should show on solutions and alternatives, stand between people and politicians.

Even though some of the newspapers conducted surveys (on their existing readers) the result disappeared somewhere into a market department and are not further discussed in the newsroom. As long as the circulation was not going down there was a belief you had good quality.

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

In order to inform the public of the events and issues of the day, to give accurate expression to political, social and cultural currents, and to promote widespread and open debate, it is essential that the media have unhindered access to sources of information. 

GATHERING OF INFORMATION

The media and journalists must be free to gather information about facts and events without hindrance, or threat or reprisal. In deciding what to cover and how to cover it, they must be free to exercise their editorial judgment. Outside influence or interference in this process may well constitute a form of censorship.

“If we give wrong information, so if we give wrong messages people will get violate and ethnic conflict will start rose, we have social responsibility that type. We should protect them, so we shouldn’t give wrong messages or disinformation for them. That is the main responsibility.”

Information is power

If a nation is to enjoy the political and economic advantages enabled by the rule of law, powerful institutions must be open to scrutiny by the people. If technology and science are to advance, ideas must be openly shared.

And if government is to be valued because it is accountable to the people, free and independent news media are essential to that process.

Print media have been the first form of mass communication, since the first journals after the invention of typography by Gutenberg (in 1447) and monopolized the field until the mass production of the radio in the 1920s. 

In the next 90 years, first the television and then the Internet have claimed their own share of the media audience. Despite the technological advancements which allow us wireless access to the Internet from pocket-size devices, the special attributes of print media still render them an important source of information, as the World Association of Newspapers suggests, pointing out that one billion people in the world read a newspaper every day.

CENSORSHIP AND GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE

News reports, commentaries and opinion pieces, especially those about political issues, should be free of legal restriction or censorship. The law should never be invoked to restrain the right or ability of the press to criticize any level of government, including municipal government.

Governments can help create the conditions for the existence and development of a press that is free and of high quality. Their role should be to support the public’s right of access to comprehensive and accurate coverage of the events and issues of the day. The state should avoid taking any action or enacting legislation that might limit or alter news media content.

Information (factual journalism):

The purpose of news reports and features is to inform the public of facts and events, as well as topical cultural and social phenomena, and all other matters of public interest. Facts are placed In context to enable citizens to gain a better understanding of the society and the world in which they live, and to allow them to reach informed opinions on current events and issues.

The choice of the facts and events to be reported, as well as the issues of public interest to be covered, is at the discretion of newsroom managers and journalists. The journalistic formats to be used are also at their discretion. Examples of journalistic formats include:

News stories, reports and features:

News reports, reviews and features relay significant new facts and events relevant to the public interest, facts and events that affect individuals and society as a whole, and that need to be reported in context.

Analyses, Backgrounders and Current Affairs Programs:

News analyses, backgrounders and current affairs programs take broader approaches to current events, allowing for a better understanding of situations and their probable consequences. In these more in-depth treatments, facts and events already known to the public are briefly summarized while their context, effects and/or significance are examined in detail. 

They tend to include aspects of the story not yet dealt with in hard news or feature reports. They rely on various methods, such as broad overviews and specific assessments, to provide readers or viewers with a deeper understanding of a situation and its possible consequences.

Investigative Journalism:

The term “investigative” here refers to a particular process of gathering and verifying facts that can include research, the examination of documents, testimony and evidence, and interviews with experts. Investigative work involves deeper and more detailed study of a subject or problem than do other types of journalism. 

“Investigative journalism” sheds light on specific activities, affairs, issues, or on certain events and social phenomena not yet well known or understood due to their complexity or to their having been previously shrouded in secrecy.

The problems and difficulties inherent in doing investigative work sometimes make it acceptable to use clandestine methods to gather facts and evidence, such as using hidden microphones and cameras, concealing one¹s identity, penetrating organizations under false pretences, and surreptitiously following individuals.

Online Journalism:

There has been a huge and rapid expansion of journalism on the Internet over the past few years. Newspapers and magazines have established themselves online. Journalism on the Internet is no different in its aims or substance from traditional print or electronic journalism. It differs only in the technology it employs. 

THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PRESS:

The rights and liberties accorded the press in a democratic society give rise to corresponding responsibilities, which apply both to the managers and owners of media outlets and to individual Journalists.

The role the media and their public-service character play in a democratic society, make it imperative that the highest ethical standards be applied to the practice of journalism. With the arrival of the Internet, globalization and rapid technological development, this is more important than ever.

THE PUBLIC’S RIGHT TO KNOW:

It is the duty of the media and of journalists to provide the public with comprehensive and accurate information.

The quality of that information is determined by journalists’ training and the discipline they exercise. This should be interpreted as encouraging and not as a dry or conformist approach, lacking all imagination, but rather, as one of thoroughness, accuracy, integrity and deep respect for the individual and for the facts.

Report facts and events:

The information produced by the media is the result of choices that must be made in a spirit of fairness and justice. These choices can only be judged using a combination of qualitative and Quantitative measures.

 While the length of an article or broadcast cannot be ignored, the Importance of the information and the degree of public interest are often more pertinent, and in Assessing coverage, it is important to look not only at one or two days’ stories but at how an Ongoing story has been covered over a period of time.