Introduction
News coverage plays an important role in shaping readers’ perceptions of the world around them, which is especially relevant for political events. Members of the City Council of a small town are doing their best to accuse supporters of the opposite faction of lies and corruption. However, none of them provides evidence of these actions on either side. Suddenly, flyers are spreading around the town, accusing the members of one faction of lying and adultery. The information comes from an off-the-record source, while opponents of faction members deny involvement in spreading the accusations. Obviously, these accusations would significantly change your opinion of the members of the Council and make you lean towards one of the factions, but the information seems unreliable. Would you believe the information provided in anonymous flyers if it was printed on the pages of a local newspaper?
The Potter Box Model
Potter Box Model is used to aid in ethical decision-making, which is especially important in news reporting. This model focuses on four dimensions that contribute to the decision-making process, including facts, values, principles, and loyalties (Hueth, 2019).
The first step in dealing with this model is to consider what is known within the context of a controversial situation. The next step is to establish values that are very important and can influence the final decision. The third step involves applying one of the existing ethical systems describing the principles of moral action. Finally, examining loyalties allows you to identify those groups of people to whom the reporter is loyal and on whom the decision will have the greatest impact.
The Case Facts
You’ve been covering the controversial City Council of a small town. There are obviously two factions on the Council. Each side has accused the other of lies and political corruption. During one council meeting, you come across a flier that accuses members of one faction – a councilman and a councilwoman of encouraging voter fraud and making backroom deals with private companies that want the coveted city contracts. The flier goes a step further by accusing the two of adultery. Both are married. Obviously, you think the maker of the fliers is the opponent, but they deny a connection. Meanwhile, the whole town is talking about the fliers, which have been passed around over the past few days. The subjects of the fliers say the allegations are untrue and that you shouldn’t print a story based on rumors. Off-the-record sources, however, tell you there is truth to the allegations. What do you do?
Definition
The flyers accuse two members of the one City Council faction of voter fraud and making backroom deals, as well as adultery, but these rumors are only supported by off-the-record sources and are not spread by the faction opponents.
Establishing the Facts
- There are two opposing factions accusing each other of lies and political corruption.
- Flyers accusing the councilman and a councilwoman are distributed throughout the town.
- The story is confirmed exclusively by off-the-record sources and denied by the participants in the events.
- The story is refuted by the subjects of the accusations.
- Opponents say they have nothing to do with the distribution of flyers.
Our Values
The task of journalism and news reporting is to provide fair, honest, and reliable information about current events in order to form a realistic picture for readers.
- Accuracy – All facts and statements presented in the report must be checked and verified in order to be correct and put in context.
- Fairness – The need to look at the new story from different angles by interviewing all participants in the events, including those who are the subject of accusations or criticism.
- Respect – Every person who becomes the subject of news reporting has the right to dignity, so it is important for a journalist to be sensitive to different attitudes and opinions.
- Accountability – The news reporter takes full responsibility for the information presented, which requires the use of reliable sources and constant fact-checking.
Our Ethical Principle
Mill’s Principle of Utility states that action is right when it brings happiness to the greatest number of people (Rohatyn, 2019). Ethical choices in reporting are the basis for forming a picture of the world of readers and can also become the basis for the formation of important opinions on events.
Based on the facts and national values presented, it can be concluded that Mill’s Principle of Utility is the most relevant. The search for a balance of interests makes it possible to exclude false accusations against members of the Council, as well as to provide readers with the most accurate information about events. In the case of providing false and unverified facts, readers will be able to form an incorrect opinion about the members of the faction, which will ultimately bring them unhappiness.
It is necessary to present the truth even if it hurts the members of the faction. The truth is to provide benefits to a large group of readers who can form opinions based on facts.
Our Loyalties
Social responsibility to readers of a news story
Journalistic material must meet the needs of citizens, which are to improve the quality of life (Rascão, 2020). The news story is related to the coverage of political events, which can influence the political decisions of citizens. In this regard, the reporter’s responsibility is also to provide objective information to form a political choice;
Duties to news story participants
Within the framework of covering the story, it is necessary to strike a balance between public and private values. The information presented in the news story should support the participants’ right to dignity and respect.
Media Ethics Relevance
One of the most high-profile journalistic scandals that involved unverified and fabricated information is the Killian documents controversy. This episode included six documents that contained unconfirmed information about George W. Bush’s service with the Texas Air National Guard in 1972–1973 (The Associated Press, 2004). Journalist Dan Rather claimed the documents were authentic and featured them on 60 Minutes in 2004. The documents were later published by CBS News a few months before the 2004 presidential election. However, several experts soon came to the conclusion that the documents were fabricated and could not be authentic. At the same time, none of the sources could provide original documents, only copies. Shortly thereafter, CBS News had to apologize for providing false and unverified information. This controversy subsequently led to significant political, legal, and personal consequences.
Journalist Dan Rather later claimed that he did not fabricate the documents but was deceived by their sources about the authenticity of the information contained in them. The episode had a significant impact not only on Rather’s reputation but also on the political context and had repercussions for CBS News. Thus, this story illustrates how the use of unverified sources can have a negative impact on political news. The mistake of CBS News consisted of an insufficiently thorough procedure for verifying the submitted documents, which is unacceptable within the ethical principles of journalism. Although this controversy was not directly resolved within the framework of the events that took place, it also had effects on the industry as a whole. In particular, this episode created greater uncertainty among readers about the credibility of media resources and increased the importance of transparency in news reporting.
Another notable journalistic controversy relevant to the decision of this case is the New York Times investigation conducted in 2008. Reporters found that regular newscast military officers serving as analysts were part of the Pentagon’s effort to positively report on President Bush’s actions during the Iraq war (Barstow, 2008).
Additionally, military analysts were also associated with organizations that had financial interests in a given war. After discovering the truth about the analysts’ data, the media community called on news channels to stop cooperating with military officers. As part of the investigation, it is not known whether the creators of the TV shows were directly involved in the fabrication of opinions about the war through these analysts. However, this scandal also identifies that the use of unverified information and its sources leads to negative consequences for both journalists and the public.
The management of TV channels and journalists used unverified sources of information that provided deliberately false information. This aspect has contributed to the formation of an unreliable representation of viewers of current events and opinions based on unrealistic facts. Moreover, the individuals involved had a practical interest in advancing a certain agenda, which may also be relevant in relation to the independent source presented in the case. The decision of TV channels to partner with these analysts has also affected the industry by identifying a possible bias in the media regarding political events. This episode reduced the credibility of media resources as potentially promoting the necessary agenda and covering events from one side. Thus, the reputation of TV channels and the journalists involved in them has suffered, and the level of public confidence has also decreased. There are also broader social and political implications to bear in mind.
The most relevant story of the news scandal that involves unethical covering and the imbalance between public and private interest is allegations of John McCain’s relationship with one of the lobbyists. In 2008, New York Times published a story accusing Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain of having an inappropriate relationship with a lobbyist (Staff and agencies, 2008). However, the article was criticized for its lack of verified facts and for presenting anonymous aides to the senator as a source of information. Both readers and professionals accused the New York Times of providing unverified facts and the lack of independent evidence in the story. The lobbyist mentioned in the scandal also sued the media portal for creating false accusations.
This story most clearly illustrates what the use of unreliable and anonymous sources in news reporting can lead to. The New York Times was never able to provide evidence that the senator was romantically involved with the lobbying group. This fact led not only to a reputational blow to the media portal but also to a decrease in trust in media resources in general. The decision to publish material based on the opinions of anonymous sources is reckless and does not support the ethical standards of journalism. The New York Times made a decision that did not meet the ethical principles of honesty, transparency, and accuracy. News reporting should be based on facts and evidence, not on the opinions of various parties to the conflict.
Our Decision
We decided not to publish the story accusing Council members of participating in voter fraud and making backroom deals, as well as un adultery.
- Information is provided by the off-the-record source, suggesting no evidence;
- Opponents of Council members claim they have no relation to the flyers, which also indicates the lack of evidence;
- Reputational damage, as well as potential harm to the public, is a major constraint on the publication of such stories;
- In journalism, numerous conflicts arose, which sooner or later led to accusations of the media portal of inaccurate information.
- Overall, a general report on the confrontation between the two factions within the framework of the Council may contain the mentioned accusations. It is necessary to integrate the story of the episode with the flyers, but also note that this information is not confirmed and has no evidence.
It is especially important in the framework of the decision to emphasize the existence of flyers and the provision of information about their content. This aspect will demonstrate the lack of bias on the part of the reporter, as well as the desire to hide any information. The main task of a journalist is to provide complete information to readers so that they can form an independent opinion. In this situation, such a position is the most correct, as it allows us to consider the situation from different angles. Additionally, it is critical to provide the views available on the matter from all involved participants.
Video “How false news can spread” by Noah Tavlin
This video illustrates how quickly and effectively false news spreads in the media space. In this regard, the most remarkable fact is that publications in newspapers and other media resources have a high degree of persuasiveness for the public. Even false information presented in a newspaper or on a TV news station causes many to change their perception of reality based on the published facts. Often readers do not have sufficient critical thinking to identify unreliable information and identify unreliable sources. Therefore, the primary task of the reporter in this situation is to provide objective facts that reflect reality. Based on these facts, the reader can later build an appropriate opinion or attitude toward the event, which is extremely important, especially in the context of political news.
Counter-Argument
The information presented in the flyers may be reliable, the denial of which can potentially lead to a decrease in its positive effect on the promotion of one of the factions.
The examples presented in the media ethics relevance section refer to high-profile cases that affect the highest political figures. However, within the framework of the presented case, these illustrations may not be relevant since they do not imply involvement in such a political context.
Avoiding the publication of unreliable information is the most important aspect of the decision. However, readers should still be aware of the existence of these flyers so that they can evaluate the reliability of the information presented in them.
The foregoing examples do not illustrate specific cases but general situations that are associated with unethical decisions in the journalistic field. Thus, the characterization of the persons involved is not an argument that could cast doubt on the decision.
Conclusion
Within the framework of the considered case, publishing a story based on available materials with a mention of common flyers is the correct solution. The coverage of the Council should contain all available information that is presented in an unbiased and objective format. The main task of the reporter is to compile a complete picture of what is happening, which is possible only through the inclusion of all the facts. In this regard, it is important to mention that the information provided in the flyers comes from an off-the-record source and, therefore, cannot be verified. This approach will allow the reporter to comply with all necessary ethical principles and standards, as well as to maintain their reputation. At the same time, the reporter has a social responsibility to provide all available facts and use the evidence. This is especially critical in political cases, where news reporting is particularly important in shaping public opinion.
References
Barstow, D. (2008). Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon’s hidden hand. The New York Times.
Hueth, A. C. (2019). Scriptwriting for film, television and new media. Taylor & Francis.
Rascão, J. (2020). Journalism and responsibility ethics and social of information professionals. International Journal Business Science and Automation.
Rohatyn, D. A. (2019). Naturalism and deontology: An essay on the problems of ethics. De Gruyter.
Staff and agencies. (2008). McCain denies a romantic relationship with a lobbyist. The Guardian.
The Associated Press. (2004). CBS News admits Bush documents can’t be verified. CBS News.