“You just copy the article and take out what isn’t important.”
These instructions came as a shock. I had only been in the Metro TV newsroom for about an hour and I was already faced with an ethical issue.
A huge ethical issue, that is.
I couldn’t help but ask if there was a way to give credit to the other news source we were using, even just a simple phrase of ‘according to this article’ but soon enough I was assured that all you had to do was put ‘Desk Report’ in the title and all was well.
I quickly learned that these “Desk Reports’ are mainly used when covering international stories. Not that this justifies it by any means, but I understand the need for it because of the lack of resources Metro TV has.
The other stories aired by Metro TV are produced in more of a traditional sense: receiving a story assignment, going to the scene, witnessing the event, interviewing subjects, and writing what happened. With the inclusion of visuals, of course.
This encounter with media ethics sparked my research on the matter and I came across a 2011 article on media ethics and standards, published by the Ghanaian newspaper, “The Daily Guide.” The article stated, “It is instructive to note that both West African Journalists Association and the International Federations of Journalists in their codes expect journalists to be truthful and accurate and must report only information whose source they can identify whose import they can verify.”
Well that was vague.
Shortly after, I came across the National Council of the Ghana Journalists Association Code of Ethics. Article four addressed plagiarism.
- A journalist should not plagiarize because it is unethical and illegal.
- Where there is the need to use another’s material, it is proper to credit the source.
So, does this mean they should be citing other international news sources? I think so.
With this new-found information, it is difficult to understand my role here. I am here to learn not to teach.