Breaches in sport media ethics

From iMediaEthics 1, 2, 3, and Deborah Jackson's Ethics in Sport Media course website

Review by Tommy LaRose in SRM 435

During my presentation on the topic of ethics in sports media, I discussed a code of ethics set forth by the Society of Professional Journalists. The four main components of the code are as follows: seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, and be accountable. While I believe these are important rules for all journalists to try to live by, things are not always so cut and dry in a field where the bottom line is often who gets the story first.

The main goal of the media is to appeal to the broadest audience possible. Of course the media also aims to inform the public about current events and issues, but sometimes they are willing to take shortcuts to get a jump on a story that will generate big headlines. The question is, at what point does a journalist’s or reporter’s actions cross the line from doing their job to acting unethically? This is not a question that is easily answered. Often times, journalists have to connect the dots to get a story they can publish. While the foundation usually is, or at least should be, based upon fact, some inferences are normally necessary to get a full story. For example, Selena Roberts recently wrote an article claiming that Lolo Jones was only awarded a spot on the US Olympic Bobsled team due to her star nature and sex appeal. She went so far as to say Jones is the ratings replacement for injured ski queen Lindsey Vonn. While this is clearly an opinion on the part of Roberts (she has no affiliation with the US Bobsled Federation), I still am not quite sure if it is fair of her to publish something potentially damaging to Jones. However, without Roberts’ opinion on the matter, there would be no story to be heard. So on the one hand, opinion is somewhat necessary, but it is not always fair. I believe it is okay to publish stories based heavily on conjecture, but people should not give these stories as much credence. The problem with that is people always want a story, and the media understands that controversy sells, so they will publish whatever story they can, no matter how loosely based on fact it is. The bottom line in my opinion is intention: if a journalist intends to inform factually and not stir controversy, then the job is being done correctly.

The article on the code of ethics in sports media clearly relates to this class in many ways. It relates to leadership, publishing, and certainly public relations. Content providers strive to be leaders in the society we live in, and understanding the ethical way to go about providing content is certainly helpful.