Exploring Media Values and Ethics in Journalism and Mass Communication

“The role of the media is to hold the powerful accountable.” This statement by Barkha Dutt, founder-editor of Mojo Story, an author and a prominent Indian journalist, expresses the critical role of the media in safeguarding democratic principles. It ensures that those in positions of power are responsible for their actions.

The media is a vast concept that plays a vital role in people’s lives by providing information about the world. It affects people's decisions, so maintaining values and ethics while reporting becomes essential. Certain ethics and values govern how we communicate and present information in the media.

Understanding media values and ethics becomes more critical for students pursuing a BA journalism and mass communication. For instance- Media played a crucial role in the Me Too Movement in India by giving voice to survivors and to spark a global conversation about gender equality and responsibility.

Institutions like Manipal University Jaipur provide programs related to journalism and mass communication, where you will delve deeply into media ethics and values. Let us explore media more in this blog.

Core Values in Journalism: A Modern Perspective

Journalists should have enough knowledge to present valid, accurate, and ethical points to the people. Students planning to enrol in BA Journalism & Mass Communication should know about the core values of journalism. Let’s read some:

Truth and Accuracy: In journalism, truth and accuracy are essential as people must receive accurate and factual information.
Independence: Every journalist can express their opinion and should serve as a voice for the voiceless.
Cultural Sensitivity and Diversity: In journalism, cultural sensitivity and diversity mean reporting should be informed by and reflect different cultures, avoid stereotypes, and represent diversity.
Humanity: In journalism, humanity means treating with respect and compassion and focusing on the human aspect of the story. It consists of recognising the dignity of individuals affected by news events.
Accountability: Accountability in journalism means reporters are responsible for providing accurate and relevant information to the people by being transparent about sources, correcting errors and being open to scrutiny.
Public Interest: Public interest refers to issues that are important to all members of society. It is about everyone's safety and well-being in the community we serve, as well as the general welfare and common good. The interests of the general public extend beyond what readers, listeners, or viewers desire as consumers or as individuals seeking entertainment. It's about problems that everyone faces, even if most people don't realise it or don't seem to care.

Ethical Dilemmas in Journalism

In journalism, students face ethical dilemmas such as protecting sources, victims, privacy, conflicts of interest, etc. Because of the emergence of new technologies and social media platforms, moral dilemmas in journalism have become common.

One of the trending concepts on social media today is "deepfakes,” which can be considered a perfect example of ethical dilemmas in journalism. Deepfakes are manifestations of generative AI that are fake but seem very much real. Celebrities like Katrina Kaif and Sara Tendulkar have become victims of deepfakes.

The Pentagon papers are another example of a dilemma issue. They were involved in the leak of confidential documents that revealed government duplicity regarding the Vietnam War. The New York Times and Washington Post published the information despite the protest, resulting in a historic ruling favouring press freedom.

The Impact of Social Media

Undoubtedly, social media has a significant impact on the world nowadays. Like other fields, journalism and mass communication have also been affected by its emergence. According to reports, over 50% of the Indian population relies on social media platforms for information and news.

YouTube is the most used news platform globally. In India, about 54% of respondents use YouTube for news. This clearly states the impact of social media on journalism and mass communication. Indians are now shifting to digital news consumption because of the emergence of new technologies and social media.

Social media influences not only people who read or consume news but also journalists and professionals who work with it. According to reports, Mayu Kato from Vogue recently stated that “Z and Millennial journalists have their platforms via social media, enabling them to self-publish and reach an audience directly.” This statement means that professionals working as journalists or news reporters are now using social media to spread information by creating channels on social media platforms.

Social media has affected the media ethics and values by:

Enabling instant self-publishing
Direct audience engagement.

To become a media professional, you can opt for a BA in Journalism & Mass Communication at Manipal University Jaipur, which will help you learn about the media in more detail.

Future Trends and Challenges

Some of the future trends in media ethics and value are:

Artificial Intelligence and Automation: AI and automation transform journalism by providing real-time reporting. The new AI technology is enabling real-time content creation and data analysis.
Ethical Use of User-generated Content: As user-generated content becomes more prevalent, consent, copyright, and correct contributor depiction will become crucial moral issues. Media companies must set precise policies on sourcing and using public content.

The emergence of social media has also created a few challenges in media ethics and values. Some of the latest challenges are:

Subscription and Payment models: Online subscription and payment models can limit access to content by prioritising profit over public interest. This can be challenging for both readers and information providers.
Media/News Fatigue: You must have noticed this on social media or another platform, once you search for particular news, it keeps showing similar news. This constant exposure to news updates can cause burnout, which lowers public interest and impairs their capacity for information analysis.

Media Values and Ethics in BA Journalism and Mass Communication at MUJ

To effectively navigate the challenges and make students ready for future trends, Manipal University Jaipur offers :

Introduction to Media Ethics
Media Law and Regulation
Social Responsibility of the Media
Media and Diversity
Digital media marketing
Case Studies in Media Ethics

Learning journalism and mass communication at MUJ will help students enhance their ethical skills and uphold the highest standards of professionalism.

Let’s Wrap Up

Finally, there must be more media ethics and values now after the emergence of new technologies. This blog concludes that media has transformed into digital media because of the emergence of social media, which has changed media ethics and values that need addressing. Learning becomes essential for students planning or pursuing a BA in journalism and mass communication. You can search for Bjmc Colleges in Rajasthan.