Ethics in the News

I think the news industry should hold the highest code of ethics. If people hear about something on the news, they automatically assume it to be true. News networks rely on society's trust and I think they should ethically earn our trust. Although there are time deadlines and limited finances, journalists should always try their best to present the truth to the public. Journalists should also never stage the news. In Salt Lake City, a news reporter was accused of asking a group of high school students to come to the school parking lot and chew tobacco in front of the camera. Even though he was asking them to do what they did on their own on a regular basis, he was still charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. I agree with the fact that he should have been charged. Although the students chewed tobacco anyway, he should not have asked them to do it then just to make his story look better and more believable to the public. The news industry has to realize in a scandalous world full of celebrity divorces and CEO's who are fired for embezzlement, the news is where the public turns to for truth and accuracy. The industry should do its best to accommodate us while keeping ethics in mind rather than what would make the best story.