Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of interest in journalism can exist on both the individual and institutional level. Codes of ethics or organizational rules traditionally sought to maintain professional distance between reporters and their sources, while keeping news organizations free from financial or other pressures that could potentially bias their news products. Journalists have long prized their independence and ability to report the truth fairly and accurately, which is why, as a profession, journalism developed boundaries to protect individuals and institutions from both conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment. However, as journalism has moved into the digital era with new business models and a softening of boundaries between types of mass communication, traditional barriers to protect individuals and institutions from conflicts of interests and commitments have been removed ...