Journalism's Code of Ethics is Universal

Interview by Rachael Small
CIME Staff

Alison Bethel McKenzie

  Alison Bethel McKenzie has over 25 years experience in journalism, as a reporter, bureau chief, editor and trainer, and currently works for the International Press Institute (IPI) in Austria. From 1995-2000 she was senior assistant city editor at The Boston Globe, supervising a reporting staff that covered City Hall, urban affairs and transportation. In 2000, she joined The Detroit News as features editor, and then became the paper's Washington, D.C. bureau chief from 2001 to 2006, overseeing coverage of the White House. She joined the Legal Times in Washington, D.C. in 2006 as executive editor, moving on in 2007 to the Nassau Guardian, in the Bahamas, as managing editor.

  Before joining IPI, she spent a year in Accra, Ghana, for the Washington, D.C.-based International Center for Journalists, as a Knight International Journalism Fellow, helping Ghanaian journalists improve their reporting skills in the run-up to the 2008 presidential election.

  Alison currently helps IPI's director oversee the organization's strategic vision, and manages its business side, including events, membership and sponsorship. She also has input into the areas of communications and press freedom activities.

CIME: You worked with reporters in Ghana to help them improve their reporting leading up to the 2008 presidential elections. What did you find were the most prevalent ethical problems they faced? How did you help them work through these issues?

Alison Bethel McKenzie: One big ethical issue with many of the publications in Ghana is the tendency to lean toward the sensational in order to sell newspapers, the bulk of which are sold on the street (rather than via circulation). It is not uncommon to have one-source stories or to see mutilated bodies on the front page or the faces of molested children, for example. One other huge ethical issue that is not uncommon for many developing and poorer countries is the habit of taking "transportation" costs from companies, businessmen, politicians, etc. to attend a press conference. In Ghana, it is called "soli." Reporters rely on this money because they are so poorly paid (usually handed out at the end of the press conference in little envelopes), but I am afraid that it leaves reporters open to the possibility of bribery or at the very least the perception that they can be bought.

  Addressing these issues was very difficult in Ghana because to address them required that you also recognized the culture of the place and the history of journalism in Ghana. Ethical issues have to be addressed with a level of sensitivity and I found that it never worked if I attempted to sort of "force" Western views on reporters, editors and owners. I often fought the fight by simply teaching best journalism practices and reminding reporters that there are universal codes of ethics among journalists around the world that must be upheld if the integrity of the business is to be honored by the masses. In the end, it wasn't really the reporters who were the problem most of the time, but the owners of the newspapers, most of whom were businessmen or former politicians with their very own agendas. Convincing them proved much, much harder. Sometimes I would deal with the issue of media ethics on a call-in radio show I did in Ghana. That always got lots of calls and lots of tempers flaring!

CIME: How did working as an American journalist and trainer in Africa affect the work you did there? How does writing about international issues affect a writer's ethical responsibilities?

ABM: Working as an American journalist before going overseas has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that the United States has, for the most part, nailed down the idea of journalism and what it entails - from a freedom of speech issue to journalism training to journalism (in all its manifestations) as a career. So, when I left the United States, I had a firm understanding of media law, ethics and best practices. That really helped when training journalists in The Bahamas and in Ghana because, fundamentally, the code of ethics of journalists is universal.

  The disadvantage is that American journalists, like most media workers in very developed countries, tend to be idealistic. In our country, journalists are pretty much highly regarded and the media is seen as a major part of democracy. Also, journalists in the U.S. are paid relatively well. None of that is the case in many other countries and it takes some getting used to when you first work with the media overseas. You have to really think back to the days in the U.S. when laws were not so liberal toward journalists to get a basis for what your colleagues go through on a daily basis in other parts of the world.

  In terms of how writing about international issues affects a writer's ethical responsibilities - it doesn't. Reporters, no matter what sort of issues they are writing about, should do it in an ethical and responsible manner. For example, I was watching CNN International the other day and they were reporting on the World Cup taking place in South Africa. The anchors, in the middle of the afternoon newscast, went on and on about which team they were supporting and how they hoped their team would trounce the opposing team. When the anchor cut away to the CNN reporter in Washington, D.C., she said to him: "So, Bill (or whatever his name was) I suppose you are supporting the U.S.?", at which point, the U.S. reporter said: "I work for CNN and we cover everyone in the world. So, you can talk to me after," or something to that effect. The difference is that in the United States, we are taught that it is not ethical to air your personal view in a newscast or a news story (an editorial is something different). You have to give the appearance of impartiality.

CIME: What kinds of journalism issues does the International Press Institute handle in its daily operation? Can you tell us about how the experience of working for this international organization, based in Austria, differs from your past experience, working in the United States, the Bahamas and Ghana?

ABM: In our daily work, IPI typically handles issues of press freedom violations against its members and against media organizations and reporters around the world. Those violations can range from arrests to attacks to the closure of a station or newspaper, even to murder.

  The experience of working for IPI in Austria is a very different experience than working in The Bahamas or Ghana. The first major difference is that in Austria I rarely work one-on-one with journalists, at least in terms of how they do their work. The international part, particularly missions, is the best part for me because I actually get to deal one-on-one with journalists and their issues, something I am well-versed in - and good at -, as well as addressing issues with officials and members of civil society that directly impact the ability of journalists to do their jobs. I love the training part as well, when we are able to do it. I have conducted training on media ethics, investigative journalism, feature writing, covering poverty and conflict-sensitive journalism. I am also uniquely positioned to understand, and help bridge the gap between, media in the developing world and media in First World countries, having worked as a journalist and media trainer in both.

  In terms of living, as you can imagine, there are two major differences from Ghana and The Bahamas. In those countries, English is the first language. Also, in those countries there is far more ethnic diversity than in Austria. So, sometimes I feel as though I went from one extreme to the other. (Ironically, I also felt like that a little when I moved from Boston to Detroit in the United States!)

CIME: What are the most important ethical concerns for any journalist to take into consideration, regardless of where they are writing?

ABM: Whether the story is fair and balanced, whether it is devoid of personal opinion, whether it meets international code of ethics and whether you as a reporter have in any way been compromised for the story. Whether on the job or in your personal life, as a journalist you must uphold the highest level of standards - there are no two ways about it. I believe journalists who are properly trained and who are in the profession for the appropriate reason know in their gut what is ethical and what is unethical.

CIME: In what ways can media editors help to maintain a high ethical standard in their publications? To what extent must the responsibility fall solely on the shoulders of the journalists themselves?

ABM: I think editors can help maintain high ethical standards by making it known that their publication or broadcast station will not air or print material that does not reach a certain standard. Likewise, they can hire professional journalists and also provide funding for regular training of the journalists on their staffs. Editors have to set the example in their relationships with businessmen, politicians and others who hope to influence media and how and what they decide to publish. As for reporters, photographers, page designers and the like, they are in precarious positions in many parts of the world. While they know what ethical standards are, they also are reluctant to rock the boat too much for fear that they will lose their jobs. But in the end, they are not doing their jobs if they are operating unethically. So, journalists have to push media owners and, in turn, editors for training and for higher ethical standards for their publications. And the work they submit has to be beyond reproach.

CIME: What has been your experience in the field of media ethics? In what ways can journalists inform themselves to become better, more ethical conveyors of information?

ABM: As I said earlier, I have trained journalists in post-conflict and in developing countries on media ethics. And it's something we discuss here at IPI regularly. Journalists, and by that I think you mean just reporters, can help themselves by demanding training, training, training. Also, it helps when journalists form alliances, whether it's an informal group that meets regularly or an association of media workers in their community. These groups can help push specific media outlets to uphold the code of ethics.