Robert Niles, writing in the Online Journalism Review, argues that the Internet has changed some basic principles of journalism and that it's time for everyone in the craft to acknowledge and adjust.
He gives three examples of ethical issues in journalism and points to how they're necessarily redefined today.
The old rule: You can't cover something in which you are personally involved. The new rule: Tell your readers how you are involved and how that's shaped your reporting.
The old rule: You must present all sides of a story, being fair to each. The new rule: Report the truth and debunk the lies.The old rule: There must be a wall between advertising and editorial.The new rule: Sell ads into ad space and report news in editorial space. And make sure to show the reader the difference.
I share the view that the lines have moved, and like many journalists I worry they will shift far too much without enough thought on the consequences. But the three examples he expresses here aren't particularly radical, and it's interesting to see just how much time is spent on the rearguard activity of defending something that no longer exists.
