N.B. – A first-year journalism student of UP Diliman asks five questions on journalism ethics and media corruption. Here are my short answers sent via email.
Up to what extent does the Code of Ethics for journalists apply?
In the Philippines, the codes of ethics for journalists are inherently voluntary. This is expected given the self-regulatory nature of the media.
Is there also a similar Code of Ethics for the people working in the media generally?
From what I know, the Filipino Journalist’s Code of Ethics applies mainly to journalists but media workers like camera persons also adhere to certain provisions that would push for the principles of journalism like truth-telling and humaneness.
In the status quo, corruption of media is evident. Given the Code of Ethics, why do you think these distortions or concealments of truths still happen?
Aside from the voluntary nature of the various codes of ethics for journalists, there are dominant news media organizations that would attempt to provide a justification for institutionalizing unacceptable practices in journalism. If you would do your research, you would find out that there are news media organizations that qualify when accepting gifts would be acceptable, going to the extent of setting a price ceiling. There are also news media organizations that allow journalists who don’t do “hard news” to accept product endorsements. These unfortunate practices by the dominant media tend to distort the ethical practice of the profession.
What can you say about how the society reacts to these news alterations?
Given the wide reach of the dominant media, there are audiences who tend to believe that the wrong practices of sensationalism and product placements are the norms in media practice. In the context of ethics, people who deal with the “hao siao” would be led to believe that it is also normal for journalists to receive money in exchange for favorable coverage. Clearly, the credibility of both the journalists and the news media organizations is affected by such distortions in journalism standards.
How do you think can media corruption be lessened? Should we produce better journalists? Should we teach the people to be more critical in the information that they get? Or should we keep a close watch on the people who fuel media corruption?
Journalism education should be strengthened nationwide. Media literacy should also be taught not just in news media organizations but also in schools and other organizations. What is clear is that a media-literate or media-savvy audience would be in a better position to demand better content from the news media organizations. Of course, corruption in media also needs to be exposed, in the same way that we are vigilant of corruption in various branches of government.