Ethics for the media
Rolling news programmes make extensive use of experts who are asked to comment upon news of a major event as information flows into the studio. This is a daunting responsibility, say Mike Granatt and Patrick Lagadec, who propose an ethical code to help protect live commentators, broadcasters, and the audience
The world has a new monster, or a new friend, depending on your viewpoint. Rolling 24-hour broadcast news is voracious for information and comment, and never more so on the eve or in the aftermath of disaster.
It is possible to define the general responsibilities of the expert commentator within the role created by broadcasting and the written media. This role itself has changed considerably over the last 15 years or so, as the backbone of broadcast news has moved from the crafted compilation of bulletin to the rolling vista of 24-hour newsgathering and delivery. Crises set a dramatic stage, feeding on the real-time global effects facilitated by broadcasting, the internet, and mobile telephony.
Photo courtesy Mike Granatt
The full version of text appears in Volume 2 Issue 1 of Crisis Response Journal
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