Independence in Journalism Thoughts
The remark that “comment is free, but facts are sacred” is a very crucial element to authentic journalism reporting. The danger arises when credit is not given where it is due because sources are not properly cited or opinion is not correctly credited. There is a fine line between an eyewitness report and scientific evidence, but sometimes the different sources are not credited properly. A common mistake among reporters is the reporting of material that has a personal connection that could filter information so that one side is clearly represented. An important concept to grasp is the independence in journalism, the ability of journalists to relay information to a large audience with relatively little censorship beyond the ethics framework of themselves and their company. It is crucial to understand ethical dilemmas as they arise, such as having a conflict of interest. As evidenced by George Will’s actions, it is easy to use the press to boost a certain idea or person based on personal beliefs. Most of the time, this is not a problem unless the repercussions of swaying public opinion have a “big” effect. The problem with journalism is that many things are based on personal judgment and private ethics so that information is presented in a professional way, and as a journalist we must know what the boundaries are.
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