As journalists rightly demand more protection and recognition for their work, it is time to finally resolve the threshold issue of what journalism is, and who gets to do it.
Something very worrying has happened in the world of journalism. When we talk about the dangers for reporters around the world, it is hard not to conclude that there are no safe spaces any more.
As the battle heats up over how much protection and freedom the news media deserves as it goes about its business, a famiiar problem is once again raising its head. In these days where anyone can start a website, run a blog or publish via social media, what IS a journalist anyway?
A huge story of abuse, murder and exploitation, involving senior figures in the establishment. A confirmed police investigation into allegations the authorities describe as 'credible and true'. Lives and reputations are at stake, the headlines are lurid and compelling. But what if it isn't true?
Coverage of the Christchurch terrorism by Australia’s television channels raised “serious questions” about whether they had breached the television codes of practice, according to the broadcasting regulator, the Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA). However, it has declined to make specific findings that the codes were in fact breached. Instead, it proposes to discuss with the television industry whether the codes are adequately framed to deal with the kind of material generated by the atrocity, especially the footage from the terrorist’s bodycam.
Too often, journalists find themselves accused of being traitors when they file difficult and controversial stories about their country, stories that can lead to embarrassment, disgrace and even short term damage to national reputations. But the truth is their work can make a democracy stronger, not weaker, proved they go about their business in a careful and ethical manner.
If there exists one moral code that can be shared and agreed by almost all cultures and religions, then it must be the concept of “never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself”. This has come to be known as “the golden rule”.
These days, anybody with an internet connection can be a publisher. That doesn’t make everybody a journalist. This distinction has become more important than ever in light of two recent events.
Although the carnage was condemned extensively across geographical borders, some reporting in England and Canada has been troubling.
The federal budget has finally answered some of the questions about the Liberal government’s plans to subsidize the news business, which were first floated late last year. But the details revealed by Finance Minister Bill Morneau raises many more questions about Ottawa’s reasons for supporting journalism.