Law Vs. Ethics

Law and ethics are different from each other, but that difference isn’t always the most obvious as they can be defined in multiple ways. Law is simply a set of rules that have been set that we must abide by and regulate what we should do while ethics more so guides what we should do. “Ethics is the study of right and wrong…” that takes from the values of the individual, organization, profession, and society and allows for a choice to define the behavior itself (Moore, Murray, Farrell, Youm, 2017). Either way, they are both important for journalists and media professionals to keep in mind within their line of work.

Law within digital media pertains to things such as the First Amendment, telling people there is the freedom of the press and freedom of speech. It is a regulated rule that allows us to know what can be posted and what is illegal versus legal. Ethics is more so the guidelines to follow. For instance, The Washington Post Publishing Guidelines state “Social networks are no place for the discussion of internal editorial issues such as sourcing, reporting of stories, and decisions to publish or not to publish. The same is true for opinions or information regarding any business activities of The Washington Post Company” (Washington Post, 2011). This is by no means saying it is illegal for an employee to discuss internal items such as sources and the employee will not be thrown into jail for it; however, because it is against the company’s ethics, the employee may be let go for his/her actions.

Both law and ethics is important for media professionals as they guide the professionals to be able to work within their industries and still be trusted by their readers and followers. Without them, journalists may be thrown into jail due to not abiding by the law and unable to continue their reporting, while ethics will keep their morals high and show their loyalty to their audience.

For instance, confidentiality is a great example of both law and ethics. In the case of Judith Miller, while working as a New York Times reporter, she was subpoenaed, refused to testify in court, and was found in contempt. She was sentenced to jail since it was illegal within court but she wanted to keep her ethical standards high (New York Times, 2005). The Times eventually gave her notes to the prosecutor, but Miller only testified after the source agreed to give up his confidentiality.

These are just various ways of how law and ethics impacts the media, but without these rules and guidelines, media professionals would not be able to distinguish themselves from general bloggers and other individual reporters.