Communication and Mass Media Ethics

With the availability of seemingly endless information on the internet, concerns arise regarding the accuracy and presentation of information. In today’s world, questions exist about the role of mass media, social network platforms, and news outlets.

Faculty at NAU’s School of Communication, Department of English, Department of Psychology, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, and many others work to improve society’s dissemination of information to ensure that is it accurate and fairly portrayed.

From the Voice of Experience

I have been on the end of a phone call from the wife of an exposed corrupt politician who said her children couldn’t go to school out of embarrassment and fear of ridicule and that she felt she could not face her friends. What are the ethical implications of the “collateral damage” that can be done when a negative story is run? Many journalists avoid the question altogether, saying that democracy and journalism are messy and that’s just the way it goes.

While the truth is the truth, it doesn’t need to be told with total disregard for consequences, even when they are entirely unintended. While the outcome may not change, the process of conscientiously considering consequences should figure into the editorial arithmetic.

Many years ago, my newspaper ran a story about a school district employee who had embezzled funds. Years later, after she’d paid the penalty for her wrongdoing, the school district hired her back, albeit in a position that didn’t deal with school district funds. The newsroom ran a front-page story with a headline that read, “School District Re-hires Thief.”

I received a call from a very angry school district superintendent. Among other things, he said they tried to teach students in the district about new beginnings and that no person, young or old, should be defined by the worst thing they had ever done. He was particularly offended by the headline characterizing her as a thief, as though that was an accurate portrayal of the essence of this person. The discussion I had with our editor about the phone call was entirely unsatisfying. He maintained that the headline was thoroughly appropriate. This person had stolen. That made her, by definition, a thief. The headline was true and factual, and that’s all that mattered. Our discussion went on for some time, ending in nothing close to a meeting of the minds.

Facts do matter. The truth matters. Tone and context matter. People matter. And while some journalists would like to avoid thinking about the impact of their words on everyone involved, they must do so if they are to really claim the higher ethical ground.