What is Newsworthy

Chapter 5 of Controversies in Media Ethics talks about influences in media content. So I took it from a journalistic standpoint. This way it is more applicable to my profession. When I look at it like that, I think of things that might make a news story worthy of going on air or in print or what would make it unworthy. From our very first journalism class we are taught the basic things to follow that make news worthy. They are in no particular order: prominence, proximity, strangeness, impact, conflict and timeliness. But are there other factors a journalist must look at ethically speaking?

Accuracy is one big point. As moral journalists it is important not to publish something that is untrue. One of my teachers always talks about double checking facts. It is important that journalists check the facts that they got in an interview or from a press release, just to cover their backs and to be ethical. 

Unbiased reporting is another key. Journalists must read over their work or better yet have someone else read it over, to make sure the article presents an unbiased opinion. As Merrill says in the textbook, being inaccurate and unbiased is not only unethical, but is also a sign of lazy and poor reporting. 

It is important to note that it is not just the journalists who manipulate the content of the media. Companies that release information may not release the bad with the good. That is why it is an ethical responsibility of journalists to check the facts and to dig deep when covering a press release. Lawyers and politicians who release information can also manipulate their content. This raises the point of weather it is not only the journalists job, but these people have to look at their ethical standards when releasing information. 

This article in the NY Times shows what can happen when media content is manipulated

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/washington/20generals.html?_r=2&th&emc=th&oref=slogin&oref=slogin