Social Due Process in the News Media
Reasons Why Social Due Process is Violated in News Media
With the rise in the number of news and cable media outlets, as well as the “clickbait driven” competitive-news context, agencies have become increasingly desperate in their drive to get views, clicks, and the consequential income streams that result from advertisements. In addition, gotcha news and sensationalist programming have further deflated journalistic ethical guidelines resulting in violations of Social Due Process.
Violation of Social Due Process in News Media
Crime Reporting
Non-Crime Reporting
Non-Crime Reporting
Crime-based reporting offers an example of how the news media grossly violates Social Due Process. The news media sometimes reports stories of alleged crimes and indiscretions by plastering the accused’s names and pictures in news articles (and often on the news agency’s social media).
News agencies ignore having to focus on their reported content being true, fair, and accurate by using the terms “arrested for” or “accused of” or “allegedly” to indirectly but legally (and possibly falsely) accuse people of crimes and wrongdoing. By insinuating, rather than directly declaring guilt, they avoid legal defamation.
But this common practice serves as the evidence that social due process has been violated. News agencies spend little energy verifying truth, fairness, and accuracy of facts. If they cannot or do not adequately attend to truth, fairness, and accuracy of facts, they should not be humiliating people for stories.
Non-Crime Reporting
Non-Crime Reporting
Non-Crime Reporting
The News Media sometimes violates social due process in the way they report non-crime stories. Driven by ideological reasons and/or the same advertisement incentives, the media writes stories that violate people's privacy, ignore truth, and/or humiliate people for entertainment or political reasons.
The Social Due Process Project Advocates for a Renewed Journalistic Commitment to Journalistic Ethic
The Social Due Process Project advocates for a renewed commitment to journalistic ethics regarding social due process.
https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp
https://journalismethics.uark.edu/lesson-plans/accuracy-and-fairness/
