Convergence Ethics

Between the the piece from Poynter.org on audio editing, and the staging piece, I think we can gain a pretty solid grasp of common ethical dilemnas facing modern journalists. With new technology comes even more possibility for questionable journalism standards, and it is important that budding journalists understand these points, even if they sometimes seem common sensical.

We recently talked about staging done by the Farm Security Administration during the depression in my history of photojournalism class, and the consensus was the same: it is never alright as long as one is a practicing journalist. Even if it is meant as a harmless, and in fact, a helpful act, it is never acceptable. Even with benign subject matter, such as the flower shop story mentioned by Wertheimer, it is still unquestionably unethical to stage for a story. Likewise, editing audio and video to be something it's not--by adding sound, music, or effects-- is also unethical. Simply put, because these can change the tone of the story, it is not accurately portraying the truth. This is not ethical journalism. And now more than ever, the profession needs a strict standard of ethics and journalists who will follow it without question.