JOURNALISM ETHICS IN THE AGE OF TWITTER

Journalists are having to get used to working in an "attention economy", where the proliferation of new media platforms has created an increasingly bitter struggle for smaller and smaller slices of audiences' attention. Having spent around eight months working in the office of the Reuters editor for ethics, innovation and standards, Wits and Columbia graduate Jackie Bischof considers the place of ethics in the brave new world of journalism.

It was impossible to write this column in one sitting. In front of a computer, my attention is spread across several browser tabs, automated news aggregators and rolling applications like Tweetdeck and iGoogle, instant messaging systems, and the hundreds of stories summarized and condensed into newsletters that land in my five e-mail inboxes throughout the day. I’m frequently tempted to turn to paper, pen and an Internet-free zone – a forest perhaps?

We’re living in a so-called attention economy , where the fight for attention has changed the way journalists report the news. Attention is in short supply. Google’s chief economist, Hal Varian writes that , on average, readers spend around 70 seconds reading news online a day compared to 25 minutes poring over a physical newspaper. This finding - terrifying to journalists - was cited recently in an Atlantic article on "How to Save the News ".

Rapid changes in the media have been accelerated by an enthusiastic uptake of social media and digital reporting tools, and the avalanche of challenges presented by the financial crisis and sharp downturns in advertising revenue.

It’s been hard to keep up with the changes. People can now get their news faster than ever before, and with such powerful tools at their disposal, journalists can - and are expected to - report and write faster than previously imaginable.

It’s important to ask where ethics, standards and principles fit in this chaotic and curious world. Can ethical guidelines apply in an industry that is changing so rapidly, which produces news across contexts and countries? Can they apply to reporters using news, content or footage gathered by citizens?

What does ethical journalism mean in a digital age, when you're catering to a global audience?

These are complex questions, and with things changing so abruptly, there can only be two definitive answers to them in my opinion. Firstly that without a doubt, the practice of applying standards to the news still matters. With the proliferation of voices online, credibility and professionalism will matter more than ever before to brands hoping to retain the attention of audiences.

But the second point is that ethics policies can no longer be top-down mandates that are void of context; failing to consider the daily working reality of journalists. The practice of crafting ethical guidelines is an art, one that requires collaboration and frequent updating; testing to see what rules can be put in place to protect the integrity - but not hamper the process - of gathering the news.

I have spent the last eight months working in New York City as an editorial research assistant to Dean Wright , Reuters Global Editor, Ethics, Innovation and News Standards. Dean's job spans a variety of issues, including ensuring the rules that govern the work of Reuters journalists are fair, comprehensive and up-to-date. He believes these rules should be transparent, which is why the Reuters Handbook of Journalism was published online last year.

Having the Handbook online is also handy when it comes to updates: it’s easier to alert staff to additions, changes and deletions processed quickly online than to reprint and distribute this hefty, 500-plus page document every few months.

There’s no one person writing these rules. Guidelines are established through collaboration and discussion, debate and revision. Recently, Reuters published social media guidelines which took a lot of time, revision and buy-in from staff before they were published. They are an invaluable guide for almost 2,800 correspondents worldwide who are sometimes flummoxed about what to tweet, who to follow and how to source from social media.

The Handbook encourages journalists to stop and think - however quickly - before they do, something that is often counterintuitive to correspondents in such a fast-paced industry. It's a mixture of common sense and a commitment to accuracy that is often lost in the myriad voices on the web right now.

While working at Reuters, I've had the opportunity to talk to a lot of journalists about the skills they consider most valuable in a changing media landscape. The most common answers are adaptability and accuracy. These are the commandments that correspondents feel they need to stick to in order to safely navigate their way.

Regardless of the direction journalism takes as a result of this period of change and innovation, my time at Reuters has reaffirmed my belief that traditional principles of ethics guide the work and credibility of any journalist. Because that's what journalists believe. They may have the reputation of being resistant to change, but that it is only true in one regard. A credible journalist is able to adapt to new technologies, new forms of storytelling and new opportunities, while stubbornly remaining true to the ideals of the profession: accuracy, fairness and a striving for freedom from bias.

- June 03, 2010 by Jackie Bischof

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Source: www.journalism.co.za/index.php (accessed on 04.06.2010)