Ethical Values in Journalism Efforts - Essay Example

The journalists, therefore, have a huge responsibility towards the public and need to disseminate information and project image that promotes wider welfare of the society. Journalists are pillars of our society and they need to be ethically correct in discharging their duty to disseminate correct information to the public at large. Violation of academic trust through plagiarism, cheating, falsifying information, or aiding and abetting in any of the nefarious activities are now serious offenses and they are considered as totally unacceptable conduct in all areas of work, including journalism.

Hence their professional honesty is crucial in promoting correct facts and interpretation on issues and topics that are socially, economically, and politically relevant.During the Second Lebanon War between Hezbollah military and Israel forces, there was widespread damage to civilian infrastructure, including to the main airport of Beirut. War causalities also included the killing of innocent civilians. The media had lapped up the war that had generated mass reaction all through the world. The photos of freelance Lebanese photo-journalist had generated mass hysteria against the Israel attacks which had damaged civilian places and displaced millions of people from their homes.

Reuter later admitted that these photos were digitally altered (BBCNews, 2006).Altering the photographs digitally for vested interests was ethically wrong. The journalists are supposed to present the real situation to the people so the people can correlate with the event and accordingly propose a course of action. In this case, the digitally altered photographs were meant to show gruesome and grotesque footage of the war-torn areas and people and incite Muslims for the acts of terrorism and indirectly garner support for Hezbollah militants in their war against the Israelis.

The actions of the Lebanese photo-journalist will have long term implications not only for the said journalist but the whole cadre of the journalist would become the target for vested interest and may be labeled as dishonest people who cannot be trusted. The media has extensive influence and can significantly impact the opinion and ideologies of the public at large. In contemporary times, when the world is fraught with conflicting ideologies and unholy alliances of the vested interests, the journalistic honesty has become crucial.

The journalists and the media need to act with responsible reporting and promote ethical values in their journalism efforts so as to correctly reflect the paradigms of the changing times.