Less propaganda ability you would say. But of course, it can also go completely the other way, when citizen journalists align in favor of a certain ideology. What can be done about it? Also can the photos of citizens with their mobile phones by verified for its impartiality? More about that later.
Day to Day News Covering
Going a bit of course here, one might say that we just live our lives most beneficial to us and our families. Our son is not going to war, we still have food on the table, dad still has a job, and mom can still choose to stay home, or have a career of her own. But what happens when we are personally effected by media reports? When the bias reports are no longer about ‘them’ and are now about ‘us’? How far can a media outlet go within the rights of freedom of press? What are the ethical boundaries?
A clear recent case of when the boundaries of ethics were pushed was in 2006, when news came out that newspaper The News of the World owned by media magnet Rupert Murdoch used phone hacking to write reports. Not only were the reporters accused of phone hacking, but also of police bribery and exercising improper influence in the pursuit of publishing stories. Firstly, it was established that the phone hacking activities were limited to celebrities, politicians and members of the British Royal Family. Which in itself is appalling but still has an ‘us vs. them’ feel. This is ‘them’. Two reporters were arrested, charged and the editor resigned. All is well, compensation was given to those effected and the case was closed.
Ethics and Media