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New Ethics for Global Media

Stephen Ward, Associate Professor, School of Journalism

The globalization of media will spur a transformation of ethics. Principles of objectivity will have to be re-defined, as will duties of journalists to understand how jingoistic, biased or patriotic reporting might inflame conflict, rather than build understanding.

The next big thing in journalism ethics is the construction of a “global journalism ethics” -- ethics for a new age of media. A movement has already begun. A network of scholars, global-minded journalists, web sites and international journalism associations are united in the belief that the globalization of news media requires a re-thinking of the principles of journalism. The “public” of journalism is now trans-national, and basic norms, such as objectivity, should be interpreted from an international perspective.

Why should journalism ethics “go global”? Because with global impact comes global duties. In a radically connected world, news media should report on events in a way that reflects a global plurality of views. It should practice a journalism that helps different groups understand each other, and avoid conflict. Unless reported properly, North American readers may fail to understand the causes of violence in Middle East. Jingoistic reports can portray the inhabitants of other regions of the world as a threat. Biased reports may incite ethnic groups to attack each other. In times of insecurity, a patriotic media can amplify the views of leaders who stampede populations into war.

My recent research and publications focus on the theoretical challenge of constructing a global journalism ethics. Late in November, I launched “Journalism Ethics from a Global Perspective” -- Canada’s first comprehensive web site devoted to journalism ethics. This is just the start. I predict that, within a few years, the codes of ethics in journalism textbooks and on journalism web sites will reflect this movement toward a global view of ethics. These codes will be quite unlike existing codes, which were constructed for the journalism of a previous age.