Reading the newspaper, reading news magazines and watching news broadcasts are some of the only ways that the common person can know what is going on in the world around them. Journalists are the keys to current events, without them no one would have any idea of what is going on around the world, or even in their city. This domination of the news leads to many moral issues including honesty, fairness and meticulous research.
Journalists should report on issues without bias and without stretching the truth, unfortunately many do just that, they twist the truth to make the event or person seem more appealing and therefore they get better ratings. Reporters should cover the facts of a story without embellishing. They should be practicing truth and honesty.

According to Marianne Jennings, The American Society of Newspaper Editors and the Society of Professional Journalists have both created professional codes of ethics. Jennings has read these and feels that these conducts focus more on the right to report, rather than the responsibility of the media. This is not too surprising considering the current unethical actions of the press. Integrity really needs to be brought to the journalism profession, which is lost in the pool of ratings and sales.
Fairness to all people, organizations and events is also important. Many journalists choose events or people they value, and therefore cannot show both sides of the issue. This also needs to be changed, because the common person will side with the reporter because he or she does not know the opposing sides of the issue. All sides of a story should be carefully researched and included.
Slander and libel are two words important to journalists; these describe what they have done when they misrepresent a person, organization or event. Producing the wrong facts is a pretty big mistake in the business, which has caused many reporters to lose their jobs. Journalists should do their own investigations of leads and information; they should not always believe what someone else says. Some of the best reporters get their stories by painstakingly checking, and often rechecking the facts to make sure the story is correct.
Dan Rather's remark on CBS News about President Bush not meeting military standards when he served in the Air Force in the 1970's is a good example of slander. The documents that showed the alleged procedures were forged, according to CNN. If Dan Rather had done a little more research he would have found the documents to be fake because they didn't resemble any of the other Air Force documents created during that time. Rather almost lost his job and journalism as a whole lost some of its credibility. Reporters in the future need to step up and make sure their information is correct before it is presented.
Journalism is a very necessary profession, without someone reporting the news our society wouldn't be able to function. Journalists need to have some discretion in what they report and also the ability to see, and report, all sides of an issue. Reporters need to be honest and seek out the truth, because this is one career field that needs to get back its dignity.

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