Issues we may face

Accuracy What is it? It is making sure you are correct in all your facts before airing them to the general public Why is it important? You could end up making a mistake and causing mass confusion in the general public What can happen when it goes wrong? It can cause confusion and makes the news station/tabloid seem a lot less trustworthy e.g. In the 1948 us presidency race harry Truman won the race over Thomas Dewey in the election however because of the strong support that Dewey had they printed before he won with the headline Dewey defeats Truman this left the country unsure as they were told one thing and then read another. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-chicagodaysdeweydefeats-story,0,6484067.story bbc guideline on accuracy
research for all programmes must be thorough. We must be prepared to check, cross-check and seek advice to ensure this. Wherever possible we should gather information first had by being there ourselves or where that is not possible by talking to those who were.

Balance or bias What is it? Its when a party takes one side and only gives half of the story. Why is it important? If you only give one side of the story you may sometimes get away with it however, you could end up causing a very one sided feeling in a populous. What can happen when it goes wrong? When it goes wrong you can end up stirring or creating a feeling of unease or anger for example propaganda is a type of unbalanced news or bias. Impartiality lies at the heart of public service and is the core of the BBC's commitment to its audiences. It applies to all our output and services - television, radio, online, and in our international services and commercial magazines. We must be inclusive, considering the broad perspective and ensuring the existence of a range of views is appropriately reflected.

Examplehttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kDoyvibiZag/S_sRJWxsPpI/AAAAAAAADl0 /7SoziEdbAZE/s1600/newspaper.jpg

Impartiality What is it? Impartiality is allowing your personal or your networks opinion to impact on the story that you are reporting/ debating on, it distorts the true reality of the scene and can sometimes result in you the viewer being left in the dark about some key facts as you are being misinformed on key events or allegations. Why is it important? If you misinform a single person it rarely makes an impact however in the news its normally a large base of people that will read your story so making sure you get your facts right is often a key piece as you are the sole connection between a proportion of the population and a case and in the case of where the media was so convinced he was guilty they slandered his name, you can be held responsible and sued for slander. What can happen when it goes wrong? You can be sued for slander Example http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26118736

Objectivity What is it? Objectivity is an important skill to have as it can lead to a deeper understanding however there is such a thing as being too objective and there is a fine line to arrogance if you come across as arrogant not only are you being biased and losing your reputation your also putting your legal neck on the line as you could be found guilty for libel/slander Why is it important? It is important as it can aid in understanding as you see things from a different perspective What can happen when it goes wrong? When something is too objective it might not be interesting to read as It just sits on the fence, this does not mean they should be bias however there should be a hint of opinion in the news as its what makes it interesting Example http://www.informationweek.in/informationweek/perspective/2874 97/business-school-incubators-cloud-computing

Representation What is it? Everything shown must represent things fairly in an unbiased way and not suggest opinions toward any party. Programmes must not represent anyone or anything falsely. Visual representations must be accurate and not exaggerated or manipulated for effect. Why is it important? If the media was allowed to reconstruct and make things up, we would be too greatly influenced by their opinion rather than fact What can happen when it goes wrong? Media is all about making an interesting story, this is especially true with newspapers, so sometimes they will manipulate the truth just to get a captivating headline like in nigella Lawsons case that she was accused of being a drug addict without there being evidence, she was later found not guilty but her name had been slandered by the paper. http://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1425703/nelsonmandela-daughters-seek-recognition-not-money

Access

What is it? When only a handful or one station or journalist gets to be their first hand. Why is it important? The best stories are low access as not all the papers can report so one paper has all the information, and this means they dont have to twist it to get viewers/reader. What can happen when it goes wrong? People can be desperate for a story and often may break the law to get the scoop Example

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2558199/Fianc-JuliaRoberts-half-sister-DENIES-drug-addict-reveals-Oscar-winnercontact-troubled-sibling.html

Privacy

What is it? a state in which one is not observed or disturbed by other people. Why is it important? It is important as people could possibly sue you and hold you accountable for acts you did not seek and gain permissions for. What can happen when it goes wrong? The phone hacking scandal was a perfect example of this as they invaded peoples privacy and then used this information to either blackmail or control the individual, then when this came to the surface their where lawsuits taken. Example- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25628206