SAQ 1-1 Number 2

Mass Media Ethics.
In our time, maybe one of the most powerful influences is mass media. Whatever things we consider that is right maybe influenced by media.

Partly, the burden of shaping the nations perspective on things lies in their hand. A lot of people blaming media or people using media for their own interest.

The question is “did media got it correct this time? “ or “what is right in the perspective of media men?”

If I may quote Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. in his Speech at the 7th Annual President Quezon Symposium on Ethics, at CAP Lucena City, 14 August 2004

“I think the greatest crime is committed by those journalists who tolerate the company, and defend the right to write, of unworthy colleagues who bring shame on their honored profession.”

“How did it come to this?
Are we now lesser men and women in the media than our forebears? Do we write down to a public we rather should elevate? Or do we pander to a public to whose level we sink the better to see eye to eye with them. “
(from Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. Observance of ethics in the media, [online], http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?section=Opinion&OID=57796, accessed on November 30, 2004)
According to Philippine Press Institute’s Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct.

"The success of a free press is reflected in the ability of journalism to honor a primary responsibility to the public. Journalistic principles of truth- telling and independence work together to honor that loyalty.
"in order to seek truth and report it as fully as possible, journalists must be independent.
"Journalists must remain free of associations and activities that may compromise their integrity or damage their own or their organization's credibility.
"Credibility is what others think of us. Ethics is what kind of people we are.
"Conflicts of interest occur when individuals face competing loyalties: to a source or to their own self-interest, or to their organization's economic needs, as opposed to the information needs of the public. "
I. Covering elections
A. Pay your way
B. Do not accept cash or gifts in kind from politicians and political parties.
C. Do not moonlight with political parties.
D. Beware of surveys.
II. Conflicts of interest
A. Be careful with secondary jobs you take.
B. Don't use your paper/job to make money. Draw the line between journalism and your own money ventures.
C. You are entitled to advocate causes and join organizations but don't impose this on your readers. Disclose your advocacies and organizational involvements.
D. Don't misuse and abuse your privileges as a journalist.
Ill. Writing the story
1. All efforts must be exerted to make stories fair, accurate and balanced getting the other side is a must, especially for the most sensitive and critical stories. The other side must run on the first take of the story and not any day later.
2. Single-source stories must be avoided as a rule. There is always the imperative to get a second, third or more sources, the contending parties to an issue, the expert source, the affected party, the prominent and the obscure, in the story. We must strive at all times to ascertain the truth of our sources' assertions.
3. Documents are required, particularly for stories alleging corruption or wrongdoing by public officials or agencies, or private individuals and corporations and groups.
4. As a rule, anonymous sources shall be discouraged, especially if they are coming from the public sector or publicly accountable agencies. But when we have to shield the identity of our source.-because revealing it would put his/her job or life in danger-we must: First ascertain the truth of his/her assertions; Determine if he/she is not a polluted source or an interested or beneficial party; Describe him/her in a manner that would establish his/her expertise or right to speak on the subject.
5. We shall avoid at all times language, photographs, visuals and graphics that are racist, sexist, insensitive and disrespectful of men, women and children-, the religious denominations, cultural communities, and gender and political preferences.
6. The identities and photographs of children and women who figure in the news as victims of sexual abuse (i.e. rape, incest, sexual harassment, prostitution, battering, etc.) must not be printed, and details about their personal circumstances and identities must be withheld. In the case of incest victims, the identities of the accused and immediate family members must also be protected. Disclosure of the identities of victims of sexual abuse-but not their photographs- may be allowed only in cases when the adult victim (above 1 8 years old) has decided to file a case in court.
7. Suspects in criminal cases must be properly described as suspects, Photographs of a police lineup of suspects must be avoided, except in cases of large public interest, and when prima facie evidence has been established against suspects who are publicly accountable officials.
8. Documents that had been leaked by sources, especially those from the government, must be properly described as leaked documents, when used in a story. As much as possible, the source must be identified.
9. We shall accord equal prominence to rejoinders, rebuttals and clarification from persons or agencies criticized in our stories. These should run without any delays, or as promptly as possible, and should be edited only for grammar.
10.When we commit errors of fact or impression, we must acknowledge this on print, and promptly issue a clarification.
I. Misleading practices such as misrepresentation, trickery, impersonation, and the use of hidden tape recorders in newsgathering can seriously undermine a newspaper's credibility and trustworthiness and should be avoided. An editor confronted with a decision to employ such methods should meet the following conditions:
· Public importance. The expected news story should be of such public interest that its news value clearly outweighs the damage to trust and credibility that might result from the use of deception.
· Alternatives. The story cannot reasonably be recast to avoid the need to misrepresent,
· Last resort. All other means of. getting the story must have been exhausted
· Disclosure. The deceptive practices and the reasons why they were used should be disclosed on print at the time the story is published.
(From Philippine Press Institute, Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct [online], http://www.ijnet.org/FE_Article/codeethics.asp?UILang=1&CId=8347&CIdLang=1 , accessed on November 30, 2004)