The ethics of journalism in a social media world

Social media has blurred the line between the ethical and unethical, especially for journalists, which is discussed in this article.

Journalists are told not to have a political bias and if they do to keep it to themselves. They are told that they should not put Obama bumper stickers on their cars or vote in primary elections.

So when journalists are creating their personal Facebook page and it asks them what their political affiliation is the same rule should apply.

National Public Radio released its guidelines in October.

The NPR guidelines say, "Don't behave any differently online than you would in any other public setting," which i think can be applied to any ethical questions in a social media setting.

Even if a journalist considers himself or herself "kind of a Commie," that's not something everyone should know.

It is difficult to keep friends from posting exposing photos on social media websites. Good friends will understand if they are asked to remove them. Bad friends can be unfriended on social networking sites.

The old cliche is that a picture is worth a thousand words. What is less known is that a thousand words cannot always make up for a picture. Just ask Michael Phelps.

Once a photo is out there it is impossible to get back. Journalists need to consider the organizations they represent.

Like Gina Chen, who claims to be a 20 year veteran journalist, says on her blog, "Don’t put anything on the Internet ... that you’d be embarrassed to see on the front page of The New York Times."

YouTube brings a whole new angle. While a picture is worth a thousand words, a moving picture's worth cannot be estimated.

When it comes to ethics the Society of Professional Journalists know what is right and wrong.

It says in the SPJ code of ethics that journalists shouldn't participate in activities that hurt their integrity.

At least don't let a buddy videotape it and put it on YouTube.

Do not assume that because something does not seem like it is on the record it is not on the record. If it is written, it can be copied and pasted. If it can be copied and pasted, it can end up anywhere.

On social media sites, friending sources is always risky. What if that source needs anonymity down the line. Once they are friended, that cannot be assured.

Friending bosses can be risky. It is laced with potential awkwardness. It is probably better to keep friends and superiors separate.

Just as journalists should not call themselves "kind of a Commie," they should not openly celebrate the victory of an elected official. It is an obvious bias and reflects poorly on the journalist and their organization.

The ethical standards set for journalists before social media existed need to be upheld. Just as it is not a legal defense to plead ignorance to a law, it should not be an ethical defense to plead ignorance to the ethics code.