Journalism and Loyalty

A conflict of interest can often lead to detrimental consequences for those involved. For instance, in the legal profession you would not have the same attorney represent the plaintiff and the defendant. There would clearly be a conflict of interest. The attorney would not be able to unbiasedly represent either client. The attorney may also be tempted to push an agreement through that would have the biggest payout for his firm. Luckily in the legal profession, the duty of loyalty to the client prohibits an attorney from representing any other party whose interests conflict with those of a current client. Conflicts of interest cannot always be avoided. In journalism, situations can arise which cause a conflict of interest. Journalists have a loyalty to their company who employs them, as well as, a loyalty to citizens. For example, if you work for ABC News and you discover a disheartening story about Disney should you refrain from covering it because Disney owns your news organization? The journalism industry would say no, you should report the story. Your first loyalty is to your audience. Almost all news organizations have a code of ethics which includes the importance of delivering truth to the audience. This can be hard if you feel your job is at stake. As journalists we have to make a commitment that no matter whether we lose our job or not, we will pursue the truth and deliver it. Journalists can only operate if people trust what they write. Once you lose your credibility, it is tough to regain. Each journalist's actions reflect on the newspaper as a whole.