Week 10: Whistleblowers

Honestly, being a journalist is the toughest profession that I have come across. I've read reports about journalists being tortured, jailed and most of them are still in exile.

Journalists are trained to write skillfully and to earn a living with their pen. They are taught to be ethical, honest and to earn their credibility in the moral way. However, what if circumstances do not allow them to do so? They are so perturbed by their conscience that does not align with their ethical standards that they blow the whistle on unethical and immoral practices in the newsroom.

If a certain journalist feels very strongly about an event or issue that deserves public scrutiny, but does not align to the practices of the journalism industry, what should he/she do? Keep mum? Do not bother or blow the whistle?

Instinctively, the first two options are the norm which journalists will opt for simply because it will not bring any problem or cause any trouble.

However, the third option tends to be deadly. Whistleblowers have it the hard way.

It takes an extraordinary sort of boldness and fearlessness to be a whistleblower. These journalist might be ostracized, fired or even murdered.

In relation to Week 9’s case study – the journalist who blew the whistle on Rupert Murdoch was found dead. Sean Hoare, the former showbusiness reporter for News of the world who was the first named journalist to allege that Andy Coulson was aware of phone hacking by his staff, has been found dead. Police has yet to find the real reason to his death however, they ruled out suicide.

Currently, in the Singaporean context, there are numerous constitutional provisions that give some form of protection for whistleblowers. For example, Section 36 of the Prevention of Corruption Act guarantees that a complainant’s identity will not be revealed, throughout court proceedings, lest the court finds that he has willfully created a false declaration in his complaint. Similarly, Section 208 of the Companies Act offers protection to company auditors by ensuring that they will not be liable for defamation for any statement made in the course of their duties.

Nevertheless, the efficiency and nature of such regulations presumes that the focal obstruction against whistleblowing is the anxiety of retaliation or revenge like cessation of employment or liber and slander lawsuits if the whistleblower’s identity is revealed.

But what if the whistleblower is dissuaded and frightened of standing in favor of justice because he has partaken in the unlawful activity in order to uncover a plot or story?? Should there be laws permitting whistleblowers protection from trial to embolden and inspire them to report such illegitimate happenings to the authorities?

Week 9: Investigative journalism - where to draw the line?

Journalism describes and explains about events which has an impact on our lives and is established in a few forms. It uses diverse techniques and writes for different objectives. I’ve done some research and realised that there are five main types of journalism: investigative, news, reviews, columns and feature writing. Let us focus on investigative journalism. Journalists who specialize in investigative journalism create headlines with news that typically exposes scandals however, that does not make them detectives! Basically, investigative journalism targets to probe and uncover the truth about a specific individual, subject or incident. However, where should journalists draw the line?

Hacking into a private individual’s cellular phone and deleting / forwarding the owner’s email / message is definitely unethical and unruly. However, major publications like News of The World– One of British’s largest selling newspaper did just that. It was reported by The Guardian (2011) that, reporters and journalists of the News of the World hacked into the cellular phone of assassinated teen Milly Dowler and gave her parents’ false hopes that she was still alive. The voicemail messages were erased by journalists in the first few days after Milly's disappearance to free up space for more messages. Hence, friends and relatives of Milly established erroneously that she might still be alive while police officers and investigators feared that evidence may have been destroyed. It was reported that News of the World journalists responded by engaging in what was normal and typical practice in their newsroom by employing private investigators to get them a story.

Despite the difficult nature in obtaining credible and authentic information, journalists should be ethical and, not sink so low. Although investigative journalism is distasteful, it is vital to a democracy’s socio-political hygiene. The tabloid newspaper’s behaviour is definitely derogatory to the journalism industry.

References

The Guardian. (2011). Missing Milly Dowler's voicemail was hacked by News of the World . Viewed on 9 June 2011. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/04/milly-dowler-voicemail-hacked-news-of-world>.

Week 8: Moral minefields: Legal and Ethical Dilemma

Presentation week! As highlighted earlier, what’s legal might not necessarily be moral.

Legality vs. Morality.
Then there are questions about how far journalists should cooperate with the authorities. When does cooperation become collaboration? When does a good contact become a corrupt relationship? These issues do arise routinely in newsrooms, not in the language of abstract moral questions, but in daily practice. In newsrooms they often say that someone has “gone native” by which they mean that, for example a crime reporter, has become too close to the police on whom he or she relies for information.

Basically, morality & ethicality is a double-edged sword, and we have to utilize it in such a way, which would not harm others, but instead exploit it for the overall benefit and well being of the public. Such as in the reporting of celebrity’s lifestyles, it is also up to the reporter to decide what is considered gossip and what is considered pushing the limit. Ethics seamlessly ties in all concepts of journalism, in whichever platform it presents itself, whether in traditional news reporting or online journalism. As the popular phrase goes, a pen is mightier than the sword and being the bearer of the ‘pen’, journalists have to deal with the power that is bestowed upon them. There is no distinct line that can clearly demarcate what is acceptable and appropriate as it ultimately culminates into one’s moral upbringing and values. The law presents what it thinks should be acceptable, but it contradicts with certain circumstances where the perpetuation of an unethical disclosure might appear to be for the general good of society.

So, what do you think? How far would you go for a story? How far would you go to protect your sources?

Week 7 - Privacy: Where do you get it? “I’m a celebrity too…”

Public Interest vs. Public Prurience

Whoa, interesting topic! The discussion has stomped up a huge debate on the factors of ‘need to know’ vs. ‘want to know’. There are generally speaking two meanings of the word ‘interest’ as it relates mostly to political and social affairs, which are clearly dissimilar and distinctive.

Social affairs

Celebrity – do they deserve privacy, by leading a public life?
It is true to a certain extent that curiosity kills the cat but how far should journalist go ahead, to gather information? Is it public interest or public prurience? Where should journalists draw the line?

Yes, personally, celebrities deserve their own privacy. Whatever that is reported – which is beyond their duty / job scope is termed as intrusion. Intrusion, as defined by unwarranted violation of one’s physical solitude!

Ryan Giggs, the once famous, turned infamous footballer has many news publications of embarrassing private facts! The Manchester United football superstar was a role model of talent, application, commitment, and achievement. Many newspapers reported that he was a nice guy who eschewed the foul-mouthed, hard-drinking, flash-spending ways of the contemporary top-flight footballer.

After reading about the scandal from several sources, it seems like the press is full of spurious exasperation about the 75,000 people who had posted Ryan Giggs’s name on Twitter and commented on the injunction, stating that law was therefore absurd by trying to gag the media in this era – the internet age!

Despite the injunction, the media got hold of the scandal details and reported every factual detail however, is there a need for everyone to know? News media outlets are capitalizing on the scandal and, serving the public’s interest craving of their ‘want to know’.
It is true to a certain extent that curiosity kills the cat but how far should journalist go ahead, to gather information? Is it public interest or public prurience? Where should journalists draw the line?

It was discussed and debated that by entering public life, individuals surrender any claim to personal privacy. Well, I feel that journalists have a duty to report situations when these details could have relevance to the public performance of an individual or group.

For Ryan Giggs’ case, the reports are irrelevant since it does not affect the way he play as he has the appropriate skill set.


References

Herald Sun. (2011). Ryan Giggs named in parliament over sex scandal. Viewed on 21 June 2011. < http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/soccer/ryan-giggs-named-in-parliament-over-sex-scandal/story-e6frfg8x-1226061588412>.

The Telegraph. (2011). Never mind naming Ryan Giggs, now for the real secrecy scandal. Viewed on 22 June 2011. < http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/ianmcowie/100010371/never-mind-naming-and-shaming-the-footballer-what-about-the-fsa/>.

Week 6 - We are all A Twitter!

Journalism and its negotiation of Online, blogosphere and social media.

Social media platforms are evolving rapidly and it has shaped up the Internet realm. It is thrilling to buy what you have always wanted and never had the time to go shopping, with just a click of the mouse. Seemingly, catching up with long lost friends over facebook and hearing about people’s personal life over twitter is interesting and exciting.

Social networking websites offer different methods, by which people can connect, interact, share info, and create new relationships.

The immense popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter has brought helped many to interact with one another. Our social interaction has affected us in different ways as, we adapt to our increasingly technological world. It has changed the way we interact face-to-face, how we receive and transmit information and, the dynamics of our social groups.

Some argue that the sites are good, but others oppose that the dangers of social media overshadow the benefits.

Recently, The Telegraph (2010), reported that a teenager from Hertfordshire who mistakenly posted her address on Facebook to publicize a birthday party, which created an internet sensation that led to thousands of RSVPs from strangers, ended up with 21,000 promised guests. On the actual day of the event, thousands turned up and, the police were called in to control the crowd. The estimated damage on the compounds was about £15,000.

This is an example of ‘wrong usage’ of the social media. If social media is not used correctly, things can go haywire. Use it with caution as social media is a very powerful tool.

Technological changes that played a part in the journalism sector's well-documented glitches have also unlocked opportunities for reporters to bond with the public on an unprecedented level. Journalists still report facts, but the upsurge of social media has altered how a story is told and consumed. In the traditional world, print publications simply had to give out information, and people would consume it by reading it. Today’s audiences expect to be able to choose what they read, and many believe they should be able to contribute content and opinions.

References

Alastair, J. (2010). Girl, 14, fears 21,000 party guests after Facebook invite blunder. Viewed on 10 June 2011. < http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/8012043/Girl-14-fears-21000-party-guests-after-Facebook-invite-blunder.html>.

Week 5: Globalisation vs. Localisation

Technology revolution – especially the Internet, has transformed the face of journalism remarkably. News, entertainment, infotainment, etc. are accessible globally, via the World Wide Web. Globalization and improved communication technologies has permitted large-scale media companies to join forces together. TNCs – Transnational Corporations such as Universal Studios and AOL Time Warner dominate the international flow of information in the journalism industry. Mass audiences, international media, cultural imperialism and technological advancements are all apart of globalization. On an international level, this has brought forth a new dimension however, the repercussion of globalization in journalism is a decline to the local media. Localization, classified on a national level as community, relevancy and proximity reverses the floe of globalization – pushing the local viewpoint.

McLuhan & Power (1992)’s perception of the ‘Global Village’ asserted that the speediness of communication via the electronic media reverberates the rapidity of our five senses. In layman terms, it means that telecommunication uplifts have greatly reduced the time and decreased the distance between people and places. For instance, the people living in Singapore are able to see and get wind of events that that is currently taking place in the other parts of the world, in a matter of seconds – often faster than what they hear of their own ‘villages’ and families. With this example, McLuhan contends that the rapidity of these electronic communication methods has allowed media audiences to react to global issues at a similar speed, to their normal face-to-face conversations (McLuhan & Power, 1992).

So, globalization of localization?

Globalization emphasizes on events that happen at the other side of the globe but local news stories suffer. And, this subsequently sparks bigger concerns such as a loss in cultural distinctiveness and modifications in conventional news values. Also, TNCs exert influence and control on an international scale as media ownership becomes more concentrated, affecting its integrity and authenticity of the news, which may be tainted with media biasness and personal agendas. McLuhan & Power (1992), asserts that not only has globalization foreshadowed localization, it has also threatened the integrity of journalism.

References

McLuhan, M., & Powers, R. (1992). The Global Village. Oxford University Press, USA.

Week 4 - Journalism as a Public conversation in the 21st century; what is the role of the citizen?

Citizen journalism, blogging, forums and more has overwhelmed the traditional media in the 21st century.

According to the reading in Chapter 4 - Citizen Journalism & Audience-Generated Content, it is understood that blogging is not journalism. So, what really is journalism?

Journalism is a professional discipline which requires extensive amount of research and prudence in its execution. Journalists are required to remove, proof-read, edit, eliminate, package and disseminate news and information objectively while blogging is the exact opposite. Bloggers are not required to follow journalistic values and blogging are usually self- opinionated ramblings, which are often incoherent and prejudiced with little regard for accurateness or balance.

Despite its subjective nature, blogs are becoming a form of mainstream media. Caroline McCarthy, journalist of CNet.com pointed out that Web giant, Google launched a virtual fashion portal, Boutique.com and, together with fashion personalities, the IT Company brought on board fashion bloggers to curate the fashion scene (CNet.com,2010).

It is noted that Boutiques.com allows both bloggers and enlisted fashion celebs to construct and form "boutiques" of merchandises for consumption. Aside from inviting traditional media journalists, Google acknowledge the influence of high-profile style bloggers. Google has also addressed the desires of the large number of virtual fashion hopefuls who are interested to go public with their fashion style, producing their own content through blogging.

No doubt, the inception of fashion bloggers alongside the ‘traditional’ superstars has demonstrated how great this innovative class of public personality has come forth. Google has proven that braided journalism, the intertwining of traditional journalism and citizen journalism can come together as one.

So, is braided journalism the new future?

References

McCarthy, C. (2010). Google launches Boutiques.com. Viewed on 28 May 2010. <http://news.cnet.com/>.