CREDIBILITY IN JOURNALISM
writes: Eudoro Terrones Negrete
One of the main problems facing journalism and the media will consider the lack of credibility.
With little reason or communications experts argue that journalism is undergoing a deep crisis expressed by the drop in the number of readers, listeners and viewers; drop in advertising revenue, appearance new forms of human communication as the Internet and free press, increasing market segmentation information, the significant declines in sales and advertising, the merger of major me god to ensure profitability and the effect on the market, the ostensible decline in the credibility of journalists and the media.
Credibility is the most valuable and important of all journalists and media in a society etocrática, progressive and future. The more credible the journalist holds a good reputation and good image treasured environment, public acceptance of their business success.
The term comes from the Latin word credibility credibilis, according to the Dictionary of the English Royal Academy (DRAE) means "credible quality" or "that can or deserves to be believed." In other words, credibility means, credible or trustworthy, believable, credible or reliable.
The Greek philosopher Aristotle in his "Rhetoric" credibility means a favorable disposition toward the source by the recipient, based on three ethical reasons: the wisdom (common sense), virtue ( ethical conduct) and benevolence (goodwill).
The credibility goes hand truth, objectivity, independence of mind and professional integrity, since if the journalist or media credibility means have never been involved or were judged by some lie in the diffusion and commentary on the news.
Credibility refers to objective and subjective components of an information, a review or a comment and that makes the public believe in such content. Components like truth, objectivity, freedom, sense of justice, fairness, pluralism, honesty, sincerity, responsibility (social, legal and ethical), loyalty, fairness, independence of mind, respect for the dignity of people, internal control, information handling, defense of civil liberties and national interests, opening spaces for citizen participation, among others.
The Declaration of Chapultepec and Hemispheric Declaration on Freedom of Expression (Mexico, 1994) states: "The credibility of the press is linked to its commitment to truth, search of accuracy, fairness and equality, to the clear distinction between news and advertising. The conquest of these goals and the of these ethical and professional values \u200b\u200bshould not be imposed.
are the exclusive responsibility of journalists and the media. In a free society, the public rewards or punishes. " For the Mexican essayist Carlos Monsivais, "The information does not build credibility sources covering journalists, but the desire for objectivity with which they have social facts from them."
For the credibility of the communication to be combined to produce three basic and necessary elements: content, I see and what I hear, as happens in reality. Information is credible when there is no trace of falsehood or lie, and the lack none of the elements mentioned.
journalism in many democratic countries do not have a good reputation because it is exercised, often by people without principles or ethical values. Worse, when exercised by so-called intrusive. In many countries, unfortunately, to be a journalist you do not need the professional title of journalist or a degree in communication sciences or information.
Journalism is a profession and not a university career. Also, it is necessary to be enrolled in the College of Professional Journalists and is not required to have college degrees, because the journalist or social communicator is done directly on the media.
credibility in terms of ethical values, manifested in the journalist's professional conduct based on: a) The rigorous analysis and verification of data, news stories and messages received before dissemination or publication, b) Consultation of more than one source of information in each case. "We understand an information source for anyone who, personally or as representative of a public or private entity, holds directly or know information and display in a position to disclose who is in a position to seek such information, "refers Miguel González Pino in the play "The ethics of journalism in the new millennium. Case study in a Latin American perspective. " c) The fair and transparent relationship with the players and agents of informative facts that should be broadcast or published. d) The independence of outside interests in order to disclose the truth.
A source is credible or reliable when it has knowledge and experience in the subject under investigation. It should be noted that not all sources are credible or reliable, some sources are more reliable than others, there are sources that are not credible and believable while others are permanent. Not everything reported by the witnesses is necessarily true, there are witnesses that say all they should say, since the interests they pursue, especially when telling the truth condition or request something for the whole truth (money, work , bag, etc.).
There are cases where "the witnesses only tell reporters what they think based on their own interest, and can lie or embellish a story with a particular purpose without risking any legal punishment, "said Karol Wojtyla, in Person and Action (BAC, Madrid, 1980). That is why the journalist must maintain good relations with news sources not to be receiver or sender of half-truths or false scoops, not to become mere merchant of news events.
is a professional journalist of the information that acts independently of criteria against internal pressure and external pressure means groups of economic power and political or pressure groups. Independence from all kinds of pressure: pressure moral, social, religious, political, economic, family, labor, etc.
CREDIBILITY AND LEVELS
The credibility of the journalist could be taken up and expressed at different levels or instances: - Credibility or medium business; - Credibility with their sources (public, private, official, confidential, etc..) - Credibility with the public or judicial authorities; - Credibility with its target audience; - Credibility society.
THE LACK OF CREDIBILITY OF INFORMATION
A newspaper report has no credibility with the public when: a. Is obtained through illegal means and unethical means. b. Not reported the event as it is, as has occurred in your environment or reality. c. Belongs to the series "stolen documents." d. It is written with malice, bad faith or lack of respect for people. e. It was invented to serve vested interests groups or political or economic power of lobbyists. f. It has not been proven or verified its authenticity with the sources themselves. g. Is obtained from reliable sources, no credible or dubious sources. h. Lack of basic data and contains inaccuracies and exaggerations that give rise to suspicion and lack of credibility.
REASONS FOR THE LACK OF CREDIBILITY OF THE PUBLIC IN THE JOURNALISTS AND MEDIA
The lack of public credibility of journalists and media communication is attributed among other reasons the following: a) The information factual errors, b) ungrammatical c) The bias in the comments; d) of plagiarism and fabrication scandals, e) Sensationalism f) The cyberporn g) Interest conflict; h) Submission groups economic, political and pressure groups. "Professor Charles Self (1988, 17), University of Texas A & M considered the reasons for the lack of public confidence in the news media and journalists working for them. Found four main reasons for this lack of credibility: 1. Insensitivity, arrogance and, in general, misconduct on the part of journalists. 2. Inaccurate, incomplete information and, generally, professional procedures doubtful. 3. Disagreements about the kind of news employees and evaluation of the news. 4. Disagreements over the role of news in the lives of readers "(In:" The ethics of journalism / Philosophical Foundations of the new media "by John Calhoun Merrill. Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja. Translated from English by Porfirio Barroso Asenjo , Madrid, 2007, p.34).
According Javier Darío Restrepo, a university professor, one of the most remarkable examples of journalistic ethics Latin America and director of an ethical practice on the internet of the Foundation for New Latin American Journalism, there is a crisis of credibility in the Latin American press, because it is losing distance from the events and players are and do the news: "the interest siding good and bad, the press is losing credibility call that security. Failed to observe the events from a distance. It is a press that is looking at history from the power, in many cases, from above. The media and journalists are losing their perspective, they need to look at the world from below ... If the journalist takes sides has distortion of vision who sees from a single side and the journalist have to see it from all sides. " Restrepo said that in the United States that happened "so openly that has been accentuated after the attacks of September 11, 2001, as the conditioned media information to government interests, took advantage because they could not keep your distance" Together media, Internet is the least credible to the public, due to the existence of websites and blogs to disseminate confidential information without contrast and falsehoods which become involved.
FACTORS FOR JOURNALISTS AND THE MEDIA HAVE CREDIBILITY
credibility to journalists and the media is due to a number of factors: - objective, truthful, clear and precise. - Elimination of bias in the information, reviews, interviews and reports. - Ability to automatically correct errors or the request of the interested party. - Fairness of the information, commentary, criticism, interviews and reportage. - Commitment to service the interests of the community. - Editorials that focus on the real problems of society, and apply suggested solutions. - Give priority to issues of substance on the trivial and frivolous. - Total independence in their reporting, independence from the government, the branches of government, political parties and trade unions, the economic power groups and politicians and lobbyists. - Moral and professional authority of the owners of the media for questions and punish those who violate moral and legal standards in journalism. - No information regarded as a mere commodity. - Do not broadcast programs that contain gratuitous violence, sanction, promote or glamorice violence, gratuitous violence understand the material that does not have an integral role in the development of a theme or program.
“PRUEBA ÉTICA PRAGMÁTICA”
Francisco Vásquez Fernández, en su obra “Ética y deontología informativas” (Paraninfo, España, 1991:182 y 183), explica que “a la credibilidad del comunicador se la denomina “prueba ética pragmática”, porque consiste en enviar mensajes con atribuciones éticas, por parte del emisor, y que le son asignadas por el receptor. En su sentido plenario, se refiere a la conducta ética del emisor del mensaje –credibilidad de la fuente-, que consiste en un “conjunto de actitudes y creencias que un auditorio tiene respecto a la fuente, basadas en tres rasgos Essential: good intentions, trustworthiness and competence or experience "(R. Ross). Credibility of the source is defined by attitudes of faith and trust in the good intentions of the issuer, in its social position in their professional authority and sincerity. "
For Vásquez Fernández, credibility explanatory answers: a) The credibility as pragmatic ethical test "is the enhanced credibility in his message for the attributes and ethical conduct of the issuer, such attributes put ethical values \u200b\u200bof honesty, intellectual acumen and goodwill; b) Proof pragmatic ethics reinforces the credibility, in turn, with: the similarity perceived by the receiver of the source, with the use of voice and speech, with the use of humor and solid evidence.
The common people feel that the media modulate information pro-business interests, forgetting social interests and achieve trade favors with the groups of political and economic power by submitting to the will of the lobbyists instead of the audience's interest. So the media entities are no longer representing the interests of the Company or its target audience.
0 comments:
Post a Comment