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Social networking sites challenge journalism ethics
6 Jun 2008
Image via WikipediaThe UK’s newspaper watchdog, the PCC, has released the findings of its research into attitudes towards social networking.
It found that 78% would change information they publish about themselves online if they thought the material would later be reproduced in the mainstream media. This is a new ethical issue for journalists, as Facebook and other social networking sites become sources for journalists.
Social networking sites are used by more than 80% of youngsters in the UK. Yet it appears that few think about the personal details they publish online.
The PCC found that only 55% of people think before posting information that it might later be used by journalists or employers without their consent.
The research showed that most web users think there should be clear guidelines about the type of personal information that can be published online. But the press watchdog has shied away from new regulations, preferring instead to rely on self-regulation.
In the words of Christopher Meyer, chairman of the PCC:
In the digital age, self-regulation, with its sound principles and speed of operation, has never been more relevant. That is why I expect our current Code of Practice to be able to handle complaints in this area; and in the process to enable the Commission over the coming months and years to define through its decisions the boundary between the private and the public.
So no new rules, despite concern from the public. However, journalists would have resisted any new regulations and these could have been difficult to enforce.
And the PCC might not be the best body to do this as it has been accused of caving in to the interests of the newspaper industry.
But clearly there is a need to reassess journalism ethics in a digital age. The meaning of private and public is increasingly blurred online. Journalists have a responsibility to behave ethically but the challenge is agreeing how this applies to personal data published online but not intended for the mass media.
The big question is how to define press intrusion in a digital age.
Related articles
- Should Social Networks Be Regulated? [via Zemanta]
- Facebook information should be regulated, survey says [via Zemanta]
- Web users ‘fear media intrusion’ [via Zemanta]
About this blog
This blog is run by Professor Alfred Hermida, an award-winning online news pioneer, digital media scholar and journalism educator.
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No Responses to Social networking sites challenge journalism ethics
seipati monamodi
January 22nd, 2010 at 6:16 am
journalist should use social networks the is no good news lyk the ones yoy get while you off duty
Ethics Critique. « Brian's Blog
March 2nd, 2010 at 11:42 pm
[...] This blog article that i found is from the UK, but the point is still clear regardless. It claims that 78 percent of young people in England would change information on their social networking sites if they knew that it was subject to being published. I’m sure that the numbers are very similar in the United State, or anywhere across the globe for that matter. This brings up the next part of social media and journalism described in the first reading. Those journalists who have social media and use it primarily (or maybe not) for getting news and sources. Social media is an excellent source for well sources, and information. But like most things in life there is a line that is very thin and sometimes very often crossed. The line of ethics, how far does one go to get information? The first article points out a specific example of a reporter who used Facebook to find the families of a man who recently died in a plane accident. This is the type of thing that stirs debate regarding ethics of searching Facebook. What information do people really want out to the world about themselves? Do journalists have the right to publish information just because it is on a Facebook page? Many journalists say no. Either side of the issue, on thing is generally agreed upon across the field of journalism; Journalists must be clear and transparent when gathering information. When a journalist is contacting a possible source they should always let it be known that they are a journalist and that the information they are receiving is subject to being published. Not being clear is an obvious ethics violation. [...]