The Ethical Side of Modern News Reports

Ethics and Their Necessity
Technology has been an essential part of human life, especially when it comes to obtaining information about the world. The world witnessed the emergence of radio in the late 19th century and television in the mid-20th century. Since then, people have been aware of anything and everything going on around the globe. With the rapid growth in the IT sector in the last few decades, the flow of news reports has been easy and quick. News channels and broadcasters have a huge audience, and they try to reach out using news reports now and then. The very deliberate attempts of reporters to gain popularity take a toll on the ethical aspects of journalism. It, therefore, becomes significant that reporters keep in mind the adverse effects of their unethical conduct.

Balancing Attention with Responsibility
The very reason for the spread of fake news is the desire for public attention. News reports and channels seek maximum audience, for which they don’t hesitate to project dramatic news that might be inaccurate. When this misleading information reaches the audience, it creates an environment of mistrust and instability. The world has witnessed numerous instances where massive outrage took place because of unauthentic information. This leads to the loss of valuable time and resources. Subsequently, it becomes the top priority of reporters to check the authenticity of the news that they publish.

Overcoming Biases
A very important aspect of ethics in news reporting is the unbiased nature of the reporter. Partisan nature towards any personality or phenomenon tends to project only a one-sided perspective of the news. A biased media limits the capacity of people to think rationally. As has been witnessed in recent times, paid media took steps to absolutely promote or obstruct things rather than present an unbiased and neutral view of the situation. This, furthermore, prevents the audience from developing a clear and accurate picture.

Role of Ethics in Society
Ethics, or the model code of conduct, is deemed to be an integral part of news reports in modern times. Widespread connectivity across the globe can manipulate the audience to develop a negative attitude towards each other, as seen in the case of communal riots, and against the state. People, in the shadow of ignorance and untrustworthy information, develop a wrong belief and proceed towards the upliftment of the same. This reduces their capacity to think and work efficiently, leading to an undesirable impact on society.

News reports need to be ethical, authentic, and genuine so that people are not led away from the truth. A society that is completely aware of its surroundings will be healthy and prosperous.

By: Anusha Sharma
Class: 12
St. Karen's School, Bihar
Edited by: Thirukumaran Veleyudham