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Conflicts of Interest
A clash between professional
loyalties and outside interests that undermines the credibility of the moral agent
Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts generally arise from
societal roles
Involve particularistic duties
No all-encompassing moral rule
urging us to reject all conflicts of interest
Ex. Reporter should not endorse a
political cause, but rest of us can
Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts raise questions of
fairness and justice
Ex. Reporter married to
government official might be reluctant to investigate government corruption
Conflicts of Interest
Professional codes ask media
practitioners to avoid conflicts of interest
Code of the Public Relations
Society of America
Code of the Society of
Professional Journalists
Conflicts of Interest
Appearance of questionable
behavior can be just as bad as actually being caught in such behavior
Credibility of a news person is
key
Appearance of conflict of
interest weakens credibility
Conflicts of Interest
Conflicting relationships
Conflicting public participation
Vested interests and hidden
agendas
Conflicting Relationships
Gifts and "Perks"
Journalists should not accept
favors from news sources
Public perception of wrong doing
(even if there is none) can be just as damaging to reporter’s credibility
Acceptance of meals, free trips
is a no-no
Conflicting Relationships
Gifts and "Perks"
"Junket" is a free trip
with food/lodging paid for by a vested interest on news source
Junkets often used by movie and
TV industry to promote films and shows
Junkets are problematic because
they compromises the integrity and credibility of reporters
Sports reporters traveling with
teams they cover can be perceived as a conflict
Conflicting Relationships
Checkbook journalism
This is the practice of paying
sources for interviews
This is a serious conflict of
interest
It compromises the traditional
journalistic commitment to truth and accuracy
Payment may taint the quality of
the information
Conflicting Relationships
Checkbook journalism
This is the practice of paying
sources for interviews
This is a serious conflict of
interest
It compromises the traditional
journalistic commitment to truth and accuracy
Payment may taint the quality of
the information
Payment may be in the form of
transportation, meals, and lodging
Conflicting Relationships
Payment for interviews is
wide-spread among the tabloids and talk shows
Current Affair paid
$40,000 to Anne Mercer (prosecution witness in Wm.. Kennedy Smith trial)
Inside Edition paid Tanya
Harding several hundred thousand dollars for a series of interviews
Conflicting Relationships
Personal relationships
TV anchor married to NYC mayor
Rudy Giuliani
NBC reporter romantically
involved with a political candidate
Family members working in the
same organization
Nepotism policies help to avoid
this
Conflicting Relationships
Journalist as Citizen
How detached from a story should
a journalist be?
What if children are suffering
major abuses?
Author suggests that journalists
help when people’s lives are in danger and no one else is there to help
Able to fulfill role as
journalist and citizen
Conflicting Public Participation
Two views
Some suggest journalists should
not participate in any community organizations
Others say participation keeps
reporters in touch with the needs of the community and helps develop news sources
Author says apply the "rule
of common sense"
Conflicting Public Participation
Political activism
Some suggest being part of a
political organization is not the cause of reporter bias (reporter would be biased anyway)
Some suggest demonstrating to
support political cause undermines integrity of news organization
Ex. Sandy Nelson, WA state
reporter participated in gay rights organization (demoted to copy desk)
Conflicting Public Participation
Avoid conflicts of interest
In unavoidable, disclose the
conflict so as not to compromise yourself or your news organization
Conflicting Public Participation
Public (civic) Journalism
Goal is to reconnect citizens
with their newspapers, communities, and political process
News media should serve as agents
of change
Organizing community meetings to
deliberate property taxes, health-care, etc.
Vested Interests and Hidden
Agendas
Several examples illustrate the
conflict that arises when media practitioners have vested interests/hidden agendas
Reporter blasts a sexual
harassment case when he is up on the similar charges
Not running a column against
gambling when the newspaper supports gambling
Editorial against a company that
directly competes with the owner of the newspaper
Vested Interests and Hidden
Agendas
Author suggests the minimum
requirement is for moral agents to reveal vested interests or hidden agendas that inspire
public pronouncements
Dealing with Conflicts of
Interest
Avoid personal conflicts that
will undermine professional obligations
Duty-based theorists would avoid
conflicts as a matter of principle
Consequentialists would examine
the potential harm to various parties
Dealing with Conflicts of
Interest
Make every effort to resolve
conflict, even if it is after the fact
Acknowledge a conflict of
interest to public or clients
Aristotle’s Golden Mean
provides a reasonable middle ground between moral purity and callous disregard of the
public’s right to know about the conflict
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