I have been currently reading a bunch of books concerning journalism and investigative journalism. I found so many interesting fractions that had successfully captured my attention. This one, which I would like to post as a sharing, is a theory applicable for any diciplines, not only journalism. This is a Plato’s theory that was previously discussed in ‘The Republic’ and has become the ideal base for ethics of journalism.
The virtuous journalist is one who has respect for, and tries to live by, the cardinal virtues that take into account:
1. Wisdom, which gives direction to the moral life and is the rational, intellectual base for any systems of ethics. Wisdom is part natural and part acquired, combining knowledge and native abilities; it largely comes from maturing of life and experience, from contemplation, reading, conversing and study.
2. Courage, which keeps one constantly pursuing his goal which wisdom has helped him set for himself. Courage is needed to help the journalist resist the many temptations which would stray him away from the path which wisdom shows.
3. Temperance, the virtue that demands reasonable moderation or a blending of the domination of reason with other tendencies of human nature. It is this virtue, giving harmony and proportion to moral life, which helps us avoid fanaticism in pursuit of any goal.
4. Justice, as distinguished from the other cardinal virtues in that it refers more specifically to man’s social relations. Justice involves a man’s “deservingness”; each man must be considered but this does not mean that each man has to be treated like every other-for example, justice would not require that every person elected to a city, state, or national office receive equal attention on television or the same amount of space in a newspaper. Equal treatment simply does not satisfy deservingness-does not imply just “coverage”.
5. Truth, the pursuit of truth by a journalist surely partakes wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice. Thus at the base of journalistic ethics is an allegiance to truth. It is the authenticity of the information contained in the story that is the journalist’s chief ethical concern. It is hard to verify truth if the source’s name is hidden from the public. This allegiance to truth, not to some person (source) who reveals information, is what is important. Too often those who reveal information and elicit the journalis’s promise not to identify them have motives other than a desire to let the truth come out. Virtue in journalism, believes John Whale, has to do with getting as much as truth as possible into the story-and, of course, the source of the information is a part of the “truth” of the story.
(Source: The Theory and Practice of Journalism, B. N. Ahuja)
Peny Rahmadhani 