Trust is a the coin of the realm to an ethical media organization. Every good newspaper, TV newsroom, radio news station and now podcast or internet news outlet has a code of ethics that is strictly enforced. Strictly enforced. The Society of Professional Journalists (or SPJ) has a code of ethics that is followed by many news organizations or it’s used as a template to form custom ethics codes to serve an outlet’s specific needs.

I just watched a 2003 movie called Shattered Glass about journalist Stephen Glass and his scandal at the magazine “The New Republic”. Forbes started questioning the facts of some of Glass’s articles. It turns out he had completely or partially fabricated 27 out of 41 published stories. Glass was fired and never worked in journalism again. In fact, he attended law school, passed the bar but was not granted a law license because of his fabricated stories. I point this out to demonstrate how seriously good news outlets take ethics and to make you think about politicians and other professions with no such codes.

There’s a difference between journalism and news outlets. I’ve come to see for-profit news outlets like the New York Times and most network TV news as mostly serving their shareholders and not you. The Washington Post and CBS, both owned by a billionaires, appear to be serving the oligarch class and not you. Facebook, owned by another billionaire, is a horrible place to find your news. Think of the motivations behind each news outlet. Be vigilant for fabricated news and click bait. Look out for AI generated news. Look out for people with an axe to grind. Be a smart, skeptical news consumer.

I don’t know how to restore the public’s trust in mass media. Many outlets don’t deserve to be trusted. NPR and ProPublica rank high on my personal list because they’re non-profit. When you remove the profit motive there’s greater trust.

Journalists get things wrong. Journalists aren’t perfect. Doctors and engineers and other professionals also make mistakes. But unlike many professions, good journalists are trying to be fair and thorough and accurate. I’m tired of hearing people who have zero knowledge about the profession of journalism making wild claims and accusations with no proof. Seriously, screw those people.

Be aware that good journalists are operating by an enforceable code of ethics and bad journalists do not. I urge you to go read the SPJ Code of Ethics and think about the news you see, read and listen to.

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