Global Media Ethics
Ever since 1848 when the world’s first news agency came into existence, media has become more global. New forms of communication are arising every day, and newspapers are not solely receiving their information on a local, regional of national basis. The gathering of text, video and images from around the world is on an unprecedented speed and varies in the degrees of editorial control. The idea of global media ethics arises out of an attempt to change, improve or reform the global media system to avoid and even eliminate inequalities and reduce the control of global media in the hand of Western countries. Yes, most news outlets have a declaration of principles regarding ethical behavior in news they provide. But none have signed a global media code.
In the 1970’s an attempt was made to establish a ‘New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO)’, started because of concerns that the Western media and its values were threatening the cultural values of non-western and more developing countries. The main players were non-aligned nations and UNESCO. The report of NWICO was endorsed by most members of UNESCO. Unfortunately, the US and Great Britain subsequently left UNESCO in the early 80’s in opposition of NWICO.
The global media debate is still very current and without a global media code Western country citizens may fail to understand the real reasoning behind the violence in the Middle-East or grasp the actual poverty in Africa. Bias reports may declare that ethnic groups in a region attack each other, creating the image that they are savages that need the help of civilized Western unions. This is clearly a case of propaganda. As mentioned, can anyone really be 100% objective when bias media reports are all that is published? Can we truly expect new generation to be more open-minded when the parents and grand-parents knowledge was based on what they are shown in the media? It is a case of ‘us vs. them’ which is a propaganda tool in many wars past. Most recently the war in Iraq, when former president George W. Bush at a press conference said the following: ‘You are either with us, or you are with the terrorists’. Well, that’s an easy choice to make for everyone. Hell.. who wants to be with the terrorists?
New Media Ethical Dangers
As the digital age becomes more and more inseparable in today’s society, it comes with its own ethical dangers. Digital news media includes online journalism, blogging, digital photojournalism, citizen journalism and social media. Because the access to internet is worldwide the rise of citizen journalism arises. Professional journalists now share the journalistic field with tweeters, bloggers and social media users, all bringing their own opinions in the anonymity of internet. Where in the culture of traditional journalism, with its so called values of accuracy, pre-publication certification, balance and impartiality, the culture of online journalism emphasizes immediacy, transparency, partiality and post-publication correction. On one hand this can be very beneficial, as to direct and honest opinions of certain events are splattered all over the internet.