►Many Americans are often unable to distinguish between statements of fact and opinion in journalism, according to the Pew Research Center. Journalist and opinion writer Fred Brown, part of two committees that revised SPJ’s Code, wrote that ethical journalism makes the distinction clear. He wrote:
“The public has been a bit befuddled for years; many don’t distinguish between a newspaper’s editorials, say, and its regular news reporting. And there’s increasing evidence that members of the public gravitate to news sites with points of view that they agree with. They’re looking for affirmation of what they already believe, rather than new information that might challenge their beliefs. But even advocacy and commentary has an obligation to be accurate. And it needs to be identified, so the public doesn’t confuse it with what should be an impartial, accurate approach to the events of the day.”
Sources:
- https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2018/06/18/distinguishing-between-factual-and-opinion-statements-in-the-news/
- https://blogs.spjnetwork.org/ethicscode/?p=158
►On SPJ’s Ethics Central discussion of the Code, Trusting News’ Lynn Walsh offered practical advice when following the ethical practice of labeling opinion, advocacy and commentary: “The best word to use is ‘opinion’ as users don’t always have a clear understanding of other labels. If you use other words, include a description of what they mean and how that impacts the information found in the story. Make sure all labels travel with the story when shared on social media, online, in newsletters, etc. Make sure the labels are easy to find and see.”
Source: https://ethicscentral.org/ethicscode/
►The SPJ ethics code’s statement that journalists “Label advocacy and commentary” assumes that opinion-focused journalism is not inherently unethical. This part of the code must be considered in the context of the first part of the code’s “Act Independently” section: “Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. Disclose unavoidable conflicts.”
Writing in The Open Notebook, environmental writer Christina Selby noted the fine line between traditional journalism and “advocacy journalism,” and the ethical implications of being an advocate. She wrote that “advocacy recommends a particular cause, policy, action, or solution to a problem. Journalism presents stories about problems, solutions, corruption, and injustice to inform the public, trusting that the public will right the wrongs but make up their own minds about exactly what action to take. It’s an important–and clear–distinction: Journalism doesn’t advocate for specific change. Advocacy does.”
Sources:
- https://www.theopennotebook.com/2016/05/24/how-to-be-or-not-to-be-an-advocacy-journalist/
- https://blogs.spjnetwork.org/ethicscode/?p=158
- https://www.asme.media/assets/docs/ASME Guidelines for Editors and Publishers May 2014.pdf
- https://www.allsides.com/blog/media-bias-101-difference-between-news-analysis-and-opinion
►The American Society of Magazine Editors has produced a detailed guide on how to distinguish sponsored copy, native advertisements, advertorials and advertisements from editorial copy. Additionally, AllSides, a public benefit corporation whose activities include ranking political leanings of news organizations, describes the difference between news, analysis and opinion. It argues that news organizations should label the differences.
Sources: