Transcript Finnish perspective

NEW MEDIA – OLD ETHICS?
GOOD JOURNALISTIC CONDUCT IN THE
AGE OF THE NET - AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Ari Heinonen, University of Tampere
NSS Course, Lusaka, May 2013
Best regards from Tampere!
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Ethics understood as
good professional practice
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
“Communication ethics, like other forms
professional ethics, has developed with only
remote connections to systematic moral
philosophies and with only a vague sense of
fulfilment of a broader moral order”


Robert White
Journalists’ ethical codes are a statement of
acceptable professional conduct, as understood
by the profession itself and delivered to the same
profession
Codes of ‘time and place’?
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Journalistic ethics are a product of ‘time and
place’ although journalists do tend to see
ethical codes as absolute
 As the conditions for journalistic work are
changing, so should the codes
 In new circumstances there are both constant
and emerging ethical issues

Constant ethical issues
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“These same … journalistic criteria are valid
online as well…The same journalistic criteria as
usual…”
 There are “perpetual” ethical questions that
remain largely the same regardless of the
changes in the technological setting of
communication

Constants highlighted
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
Plagiarism
 “…a local radio station runs our stories complete with
spelling mistakes on their web-site. They mark [the text],
and then it’s control + c and control + v; that’s how it
works.”
Need for speed
 “… we are working here with breaking news which are
often real-time… there is a chance that you take too
many shortcuts, and there certainly is the temptation to
publish too early without thinking, just fast.”
Emerging issues
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Technological
 Clash of cultures
 Relationship with the audience

Technological issues
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The expanded time-span of online journalism makes it
theoretically eternal
What is proper ethics concerning the policy of
electronic archives that are public?
“One day we were contacted by someone who asked if
we could remove a story from our archives in which he
was mentioned in a not-so-positive light. There were no
inaccuracies in the story, but he felt uncomfortable about
the story being brought up by search engines, him
working as a consultant. I said we are not going to
change history.”
Clash of cultures
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Although the Internet originated for the
purposes of the establishment, it has always
contained a flavour of anti-establishment
culture
 Netizen culture: Internet should be a free place
in the both meanings of the word
 Journalism: hierarchical, controlled and mostly
profit-oriented institution

Relationship with the audience
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New media advocates insist that the public
should be brought into journalism in the online
world not as an audience but rather as
partners in creating journalism
 But: participatory journalism still is mostly
experimental – journalists still want to own
journalism

What about the Codes?
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
Previous studies suggest that most frequently
mentioned issues are constant:
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privacy, different types of discrimination, accuracy,
truthfulness and methods of information gathering
Issues considered most essential with regard to
journalistic conduct are familiar from the era of the
traditional media
Internet vocabulary present in the codes? (EthicNet)

‘the internet’, ‘network’, ‘world wide web’, ‘hyperlink’,
‘weblog, ‘transparency’, dialogue’?
Codes lag behind practice
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
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In everyday work journalists need to consider such issues as
hyperlinking, user generated content and principles for user
participation
But: New dimensions already present in journalistic practice have not
been expressed in the ethical codes except in a few isolated cases
An experiment
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
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Finnish professional code of conduct for journalists
Now: the audience has ‘the right to know what is happening in
society’
Should read in the era of interactive network communication (?):
‘Good journalistic practice is based on the citizens’ right to
participate in public communication. It is journalist’s responsibility to
contribute to creating informed citizen debate in public by assisting
the public to become active participants in journalistic
communication.’
New emerging issues/social media
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Can journalists use material from individuals’ Facebook
pages?
Should journalists disclose that they are journalists when
participating in online forums?
How should journalists check the accuracy of, for instance,
Tweets?
“Material generated by the public on
a media website”
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1. The editorial office shall monitor their websites and try to prevent the publication of content that
violates privacy and human dignity. In addition to discrimination, the violation of human dignity
includes for example content that incites violence and stirs up hatred towards an individual or
group.
2. The editorial office shall promptly delete content that comes to its attention that violates privacy
and human dignity.
3. Online forums directed at children and the young must be monitored particularly carefully.
4. The public must be given the opportunity to inform editorial offices of inappropriate content in
such a way that the informant receives due confirmation.
5. A clear demarcation must be kept on media websites between forums reserved for the public
and editorial content.
http://www.jsn.fi/en/guidelines_for_journalists/
“Journalist blogging and
commenting guidelines”
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1. Participate in conversations about our content, and take responsibility for the conversations
you start.
2. Focus on the constructive by recognising and rewarding intelligent contributions.
3. Don't reward disruptive behaviour with attention, but report it when you find it.
4. Link to sources for facts or statements you reference, and encourage others to do likewise.
5. Declare personal interest when applicable. Be transparent about your affiliations,
perspectives or previous coverage of a particular topic or individual.
6. Be careful about blurring fact and opinion and consider carefully how your words could be
(mis)interpreted or (mis)represented.
7. Encourage readers to contribute perspective, additional knowledge and expertise.
Acknowledge their additions.
8. Exemplify our community standards in your contributions above and below the line.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/info/2010/oct/19/journalist-blogging-commenting-guidelines
“Social media guidelines for
AP employees”
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The Social Media Guidelines are designed to advance the AP’s brand
and staffers’ personal brands on social networks. ... staffers should not
express personal opinions on controversial issues of the day.

All AP journalists are encouraged to have accounts on social networks. -Employees must identify themselves as being from AP
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Employees may not include political affiliations in their profiles and
should not make any postings that express political views.
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AP employees must refrain from declaring their views on contentious
public issues in any public forum and must not take part in organized
action in support of causes or movements.
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http://www.ap.org/Images/Social-Media-Guidelines_tcm28-9832.pdf
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KIITOS
THANK YOU
[email protected]