Media and Ethics | UPSC Mains: Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude PDF Download

Media Ethics

Media ethics involves addressing moral concerns in journalism, news media, film, television, and entertainment. It focuses on applying ethical principles such as honesty, accuracy, impartiality, fairness, harm avoidance, and privacy in these fields. 
Key ethical issues include:

• Truth and accuracy: Media must report news truthfully and accurately. False or misleading reporting damages public trust and can cause harm. Unverified sources should be avoided, and opinions or analyses must be supported by evidence and clearly distinguished from news reporting.
• Impartiality and fairness: The media should present issues and viewpoints without bias, ensuring that multiple perspectives are represented, especially on controversial topics. Conflicts of interest and preferential treatment should be avoided, and criticism of public figures should be appropriate and related to their role.
• Privacy vs. public interest: Media should balance an individual’s right to privacy with the public's right to important information. Public figures have less privacy protection, but media should avoid unnecessary invasions of privacy unless it is clearly relevant.
• Harm and offense: Media should not encourage discrimination, violence, or illegal activities. While free speech is essential, it should be balanced with the potential harm caused by hate speech or radicalization. Offensive content should be flagged, giving audiences the choice to avoid it. Reporting on threats should avoid encouraging imitation.
• Consent and deception: The media should obtain consent before reporting on or photographing individuals. Undercover investigations may be justified to reveal wrongdoing, but transparency should be maintained in other forms of reporting. Stakeholders must be given the opportunity to respond.
• Commercial pressure vs. integrity: Media companies should not let commercial interests compromise journalistic ethics. Sensationalism and "clickbait" distort serious reporting. Profitability should not overshadow the importance of maintaining independence and journalistic integrity.

Ethics of Journalism

• Accuracy and fact-based communications: Journalists cannot always guarantee absolute truth, but accuracy is the core principle of journalism. They must strive for precision, provide all relevant facts, and ensure that they have been verified.
• Independence: Journalists must maintain independence and avoid acting on behalf of special interests, whether political, corporate, or cultural. They should disclose any personal connections or conflicts of interest, such as political affiliations or financial arrangements, to their editors or audience.
• Fairness and Impartiality: Every story typically has multiple perspectives. While not every angle must be presented in every report, journalists should aim for balance and provide context. Objectivity may not always be possible or desirable, especially in cases of clear injustice, but impartial reporting builds trust and confidence.
• Humanity: Journalists should avoid causing harm and show sensitivity to the potential impact of their work. While it may be impossible to report without occasionally causing offense, they must be mindful of the effects their words and images have on others, especially vulnerable groups like minorities, children, and victims of violence.
• Accountability and Transparency: Responsible journalism includes being accountable and transparent. Journalists must correct any mistakes they make and express sincere regret. They should listen to their audience and take corrective actions when necessary to address unfair treatment.

Philosophical perspective: According to philosophers like Peter Singer, media ethics requires impartial reasoning and consideration of the consequences. Journalists must weigh the harms and benefits of reporting, especially when it involves vulnerable groups, privacy, and free speech. Since ethical decisions depend heavily on context, general rules offer guidance, but judgment is required in each specific case.

Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards by NBA

The Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards established by the National Broadcasting Association (NBA) includes the following principles, violation of which can lead to complaints:

• Impartiality and Objectivity in Reporting: Journalists must ensure fairness and neutrality in their reports.
• Neutrality: Reports should be free from bias, presenting facts without taking sides.
• Avoid Glorification of Crime and Violence: When reporting on crime, it should not be sensationalized or glorified.
• Discretion in Reporting on Violence and Crimes Against Women and Children: Special care should be taken when covering sensitive topics involving violence and crimes against vulnerable groups.
• Abhor Sex and Nudity: Broadcasting should avoid explicit content, ensuring respect for audience sensibilities.
• Ensure Privacy: Personal privacy should be respected and not violated unnecessarily.
• National Security: Broadcasting should not endanger national security or compromise sensitive information.
• Avoidance of Superstition and Occultism: Media should refrain from promoting superstition or occult practices.
• Responsible Sting Operations: When conducting sting operations, broadcasters must ensure that they are carried out ethically and responsibly.

TRP and Media ethics

TRP stands for Television Rating Point, a tool that measures the popularity of a TV channel or program. It indicates which channel and program are being watched the most, showing how frequently people tune into a particular channel or program.

"The duty of journalists is to tell the truth. Journalism means you go back to actual facts, you look at the documents, you discover what the record is, you report it that way." – Noam Chomsky

Ethical Issues Related to TRP

• Sensationalism for Profit: The race for TRP encourages sensationalizing news to maximize viewership and increase profits, which makes news reporting vulnerable to manipulation.
• Importance of Objectivity: Objectivity is crucial to ensure the public’s 'right to information.' People deserve information that is authentic and unbiased, and the news should be presented in a way that fulfills this right.
• Integrity in News Collection: Maintaining the integrity of the news collection and broadcasting process is essential to ensure accurate reporting.
• Government Spending and TRP: The government’s advertising expenditure is influenced by the TRP system, and public spending should not be based on misleading or flawed data.
• Compromise of Impartiality: The TRP-driven race compromises impartial news selection, often sidelining issues affecting the poor, marginalized, and vulnerable sections of society.
• Unverified Information: The pursuit of high TRP ratings forces news channels to broadcast unscientific or unverified information, undermining the media’s role in promoting a value-driven society.
• Destruction of Professional Journalism: The TRP race is damaging professional journalism, shifting the focus from citizen-centric journalism to agenda-setting. Instead of information dissemination, noise and sensationalism dominate.

Noam Chomsky’s Reflection: This shift in news reporting reminds us of Noam Chomsky’s question: “How is it we have so much information but know so little?”

Social Media Ethics

Online social networking involves using dedicated websites or apps to interact with people who share similar interests or belong to the same groups, circles, or communities. However, with the rise of social networking, numerous ethical dilemmas have emerged, including issues related to privacy violations, misrepresentation, and bullying. Some key ethical dilemmas faced by users are outlined below:

1. Invasion of Privacy: If an action violates a user's privacy or breaks the law, and harms their personal or professional credibility, it is considered unethical. Invasion of privacy can occur through unauthorized methods of obtaining personal information that could harm an individual. For example, behavioral targeting by advertisers who track users' shopping behaviors and click patterns to retarget ads is a controversial issue. While it might help make the content more relevant, it still constitutes an invasion of privacy.
2. Spamming: Spamming, or over-publicizing promotional messages, is an unethical act, especially when done excessively. Users are bombarded with irrelevant or unwanted information that can overwhelm them. In such cases, users' valuable information may get buried under an avalanche of irrelevant content, making it difficult for them to focus on what is actually useful to them.
3. Public Bashing: Once a person posts something on social media, it has the potential to go viral, often without the person's permission. This can severely affect their reputation, as well as the reputation of any individuals or companies they may have criticized. Such actions can also lead to legal repercussions in some cases.
4. Improper Anonymity and Distorted Endorsements: Representing oneself with false affiliations, credentials, or expertise is unethical. Some individuals may give companies anonymous, false feedback, or fabricate stories to harm or promote products and services. Additionally, hiring individuals to write fake positive reviews or exaggerate competitors' weaknesses is also unethical and misleading.
5. Data: Public or Private? One significant ethical challenge in social media is determining whether data shared on these platforms should be considered public or private. While users agree to terms and conditions that often allow third parties access to their data, questions about privacy still arise. For example, some companies use social media profiles to screen potential employees, raising ethical concerns about the fairness and privacy of such practices. Is it fair for employers to judge an individual’s professional capabilities based on personal information available on social media?

These dilemmas highlight the ethical challenges posed by online social networking and underscore the importance of maintaining integrity, privacy, and fairness in digital interactions.

Social Media and Ethical dilemma

• Utilitarian Perspective: Social networking sites like Facebook have been associated with issues such as cyberbullying and online predation. However, these platforms also offer the opportunity for individuals to connect with others, fostering meaningful relationships that they might not have otherwise formed. From a utilitarian viewpoint, the ethical dilemma arises from balancing the positive outcomes of social connectivity against the potential harms, such as emotional distress or exploitation.
• Fairness Perspective: Some argue that social networking sites promote egalitarianism by eliminating the physical markers of identity, such as race, gender, and age. When interacting online, people cannot immediately judge others based on external characteristics. This perspective highlights the fairness in online interactions, as everyone theoretically has the same opportunity to participate, regardless of their personal attributes.
• Virtue Perspective: Many interpersonal virtues we value, such as honesty, openness, and patience, have traditionally developed in face-to-face interactions. The shift to digital communication raises questions about how these virtues will be affected. For instance, what does honesty mean in an online world where people are represented by avatars? Will new virtues emerge, and how will digital communication impact existing ones? The ability to disconnect easily from online interactions may challenge virtues like patience and openness, prompting the question of how we will negotiate these values in a digital context.

Conclusion

The constitution and legislation guarantee freedom of opinion and expression, but often this freedom is exercised excessively. Ethical standards for social media research must be established, but they should also be adaptable, as technologies and their usage are continuously evolving.