Exploring the Ethical Dilemmas in Journalism: Harmonia vs. Discordia (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: What makes journalism ethical or unethical? Most people agree that the news should be accurate, thorough and responsible. Journalists should do the research needed to contextualise events, consider many sides of an issue and avoid unnecessary harm to sources or audiences. But do these ethics depend purely on the moral fortitude of individual journalists? Or are journalistic ethics a product of larger incentives at play? The truth is that many journalists work in systems that discourage them from reporting ethically. Imagine two towns, Harmonia and Discordia. In Harmonia, news consumers create an incentive for ethical journalism because they are willing to pay for reliable information that helps improve their lives. Harmonians think of being informed as a right and responsibility of citizenship, like voting. They support regulations that defend news in the public interest, while protecting press freedom from government overreach. In Discordia, consumers expect news to be free of charge and favour sensationalism and juicy gossip. Journalists earn money by attracting the public's attention with shocking stories, accurate or not, and then selling that attention to advertisers. Audiences take press freedom for granted and don't question the political and economic influences over the news they consume. In Harmonia, media outlets compete for grant support from non-profits. Legal regulations encourage local ownership and locally focused content. This combination of funding and sensible regulation allows newsrooms to produce thoroughly investigated stories that deal with issues important to their audiences. In Discordia, news organisations sink or swim in a cutthroat market. Unregulated conglomerates buy up smaller outlets and syndicate stories across them, leading to homogenous, decontextualised news. In Discordia's media deserts, consumers find no coverage at all of local issues. In Harmonia, journalists keep relationships with the community because they need loyal, paying customers and grant support from organisations concerned with public welfare. This system promotes responsible reporting. News organisations put public interest and the safety of their sources above stockholder profits. In Discordia, conglomerates cut costs by laying off staff, stripping them down to skeleton crews. Editors are forced to take journalists off important but unprofitable stories. Journalists do everything. Write stories, shoot video, record audio, edit their own work. They're left without time to consider how they're putting sources at risk or affecting audiences. In Harmonia, where quality rules over quantity, journalists have time to report stories deeply and consider their many sides. In Discordia, speed reigns over accuracy. Journalists don't have time to investigate beyond their initial assumptions and biases. In Harmonia, a system has been set in motion in which journalists earn the trust of their audiences by reporting accurately, thoroughly and responsibly. In Discordia, consumers lose trust in professional journalism and instead rely on peddlers of gossip, conspiracy theories and political disinformation. Which town would you rather live in? If you answered Harmonia, you share the responsibility to maintain a system that sustains ethical journalism. You can join in media activism, encourage public and non-profit spending to support the free press and be a discerning consumer. That means avoiding clickbait and, if you can afford it, paying for high-quality local journalism.