How to ethically report in different cultures
By Mariam Mackar
“Public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. Ethical journalism strives to ensure the free exchange of information that is accurate, fair and thorough. An ethical journalist acts with integrity.”
This is the preamble of the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics. A standard many journalists follow in order to maintain the integrity that is necessary in a field that is constantly being referred to as “fake news.” At its core, SPJ’s Code of Ethics serves as a set of principles to guide reporters during their time in a career that is filled with nuanced scenarios and morally divisive situations.
From the very beginning of a student’s time in journalism, the concept of reporting ethically is drilled into nearly each course taken and every story written, all in hopes of being translated into a future career of honorable investigations and truth-telling. Though one may learn (as much as a person can in the classroom) the standards of reporting in the United States, ethics differ within each culture, country, and community. How, if at all, does a reporter prepare him or herself to report on new environments they are not accustomed to?
“There’s no education that can teach you the things you learn by being dropped in some other country… [reporting abroad] was a real eye-opener and a real gift,” says Michelle Kosinski, CNN’s senior diplomatic correspondent for the U.S. State Department. Before her current position at CNN, Kosinski worked for 10 years as an NBC News foreign correspondent based in London, covering a wide range of domestic and international stories, such as military handover in Afghanistan, the earthquake in Haiti, the aftermath of the Arab Spring, and terrorist plots and bombings in Europe.
Despite the perpetual learning curve that accompanies reporting in constantly changing cultural environments, Kosinski says that being able to work in different countries enhanced her journalistic skills by making her a more well-rounded person. “It made me wiser, it made me more sympathetic to human beings in general… because I think when you see other people’s cultures, you just understand humanity more.”
After her 10 years of foreign reporting experience, Kosinski’s best advice to young journalists on how to avoid reporting with subconscious bias is to do what journalists do best: ask questions.
“The best advice is to just question everything. Question every source; like what is their agenda? What is the background? What political motive might they have to be sharing with you what they’re sharing? Because every source you’re talking to has an agenda and you’re more susceptible to it when you’re dropped into a place and you yourself are like “which end is up?”
From Kosinski’s perspective the way that a person reports doesn’t necessarily change in a new place. However, when in a new country, state or environment, a journalist has to pay closer attention to differences in the ‘rules’ of reporting, including differing laws and socially acceptable actions.
“It’s instantly noticeable, the differences, just in the way reporters conduct themselves. There are other countries where, for example, suspects’ identities are really protected and investigators won’t release as many details as you would be used to getting in America.”
She argues that one of the most valuable things a reporter can do, especially when reporting on a new place, is to ask for help. Whether that is from experts on the topic being covered, colleagues who have knowledge on the matter or natives in the area who can provide a close-to-home perspective.
For Kosinski, the beauty of the field of journalism is the adventure that can be found in any place. Whether that means traveling to new countries or finding stories within your hometown, the nature of reporting allows for new discoveries regardless of the continent one is working in. Although working in unknown environments can provide differing obstacles, nothing can prepare a journalist for new cultures like first-hand experience. While norms vary from each location, the core values of the Journalistic Code of Ethics are applicable in any setting. As Kosinski’s career has shown, the benefits of being immersed in uncharted territory transcends simply reporting a headlining story by providing invaluable experience to a reporter’s future in the field.