Ethics, Emotions, and the New Journalism

Journalistic ethics is a commitment to seeking and telling the truth. In our times, however, truth has become a tricky and slippery concept. From authoritarian powers which seek to manage the truth, to post-modernists who see multiple, contextual, truths, it is increasingly difficult today to establish a single, authoritative, Capital-T

Speakers

Dan Dunsky
Journalist, Former Executive Producer, The Agenda with Steve Paikin, TVO

Start

February 4, 2016 - 12:00 am

End

Journalistic ethics is a commitment to seeking and telling the truth. In our times, however, truth has become a tricky and slippery concept. From authoritarian powers which seek to manage the truth, to post-modernists who see multiple, contextual, truths, it is increasingly difficult today to establish a single, authoritative, Capital-T “Truth” on which we can all agree.

Into this messy reality comes social media, the revolutionizing force in journalism and communications today. It is a medium which favours emotion over fact, impressions over reason. “Feelings are the only facts”, said the rapper and record producer Kanye West, in 2012. Social media proves his point.

This makes it appealing to audiences, but also raises a number of concerns, not least of which is the question of ethics – honesty – in journalism.

Can social media journalism help us arrive at the truth?

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