Topic:
Training for Swadeshabhimani Young Journalists’ Club Members on “Ethical Practices for Quality in Journalism”
Speaker:
Ms. Manju Rose Mathews, HOD, Dept. of Journalism and Mass Communication,
Christ Nagar College, Maranalloor, Trivandrum
Date : 5th December 2020 Saturday
Time: 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Swadeshabhimani Young Journalists Webinar on Ethical Practices for Quality in Journalism
“The sole aim of journalism should be service. The newspaper is a great power, but just as an unchained torrent of water submerges the whole countryside and devastates crops, even so an uncontrolled pen serves but to destroy.”- Mahatma Gandhi.
Journalism’s key role is to be an independent monitor of power and the servant of citizens. But good journalism must also try to make sense of the chaotic world around us. It interprets, analyses, and strives to give meaning to all the babbling that’s going on. Working as a journalist is not a job to be taken lightly. Journalists have a duty to report the news thoroughly and without bias. If you aspire to be the mouthpiece for your audience, understand your role, your audience and the power of your words, then the quality in journalism needs to be focused. On 5th December 2020, a webinar on “Ethical Practices for Quality in Journalism“was conducted by Swadeshabhimani Young Journalists club Vakkom Moulavi Foundation Trust , in which the speaker Ms. Manju Rose Mathews , HOD, Dept. of Journalism and Mass Communication, Christ Nagar College, Maranalloor, Trivandrum highlighted the primary duty of journalists, that is to Disclose the Hidden Truth!.
Journalism’s codes of ethics are intended to ensure reliability of reported information by defining acceptable practices and provide guidelines about circumstances to avoid that could interfere with, or appear to interfere with, the reliability of reported information. As per Ms. Manju Rose Mathews words, the basic principles of ethical journalism set out below provides an excellent base for everyone who aspires to launch themselves into the public information sphere to show responsibility in how they use information.
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- TruthfulnessIt is unacceptable to report information known to be false, or report facts in a misleading way to give a wrong impression and therefore a journalist must be truthful.
- Accuracy
A journalist should always strive for accuracy, give all the relevant facts that exist and ensure that they have been checked. - Objectivity
Objectivity in journalism aims to help the audience make up their own mind about a story, providing the facts alone and then letting audiences interpret those on their own. To maintain objectivity in journalism, journalists should present the facts whether or not they like or agree with those facts - Impartiality
Objectivity is not always possible, and may not always be desirable (in the face for example of brutality or inhumanity), but impartial reporting builds trust and confidence - Fairness
A journalist must present facts with impartiality and neutrality, presenting other viewpoints and every side to a story. - Public Accountability
When a journalist commit errors he must correct them and his expressions of regret must be sincere not cynical as a sure sign of professionalism and responsible journalism is the ability to hold ourselves accountable.
A journalist must present facts with fairness and is responsible for reporting the truth, not because he is inherently unbiased but because he upholds the importance of objective verification. Act independently – the highest and primary obligation of journalists is to serve the public. Neither speed nor format excuses inaccuracy and also misrepresentation or oversimplification in promoting, previewing or summarizing a story cannot be excused!. Thus, the simple mantra for a justified news story is to gather, update and correct information throughout the life of a news story.