Journalists’ general ethical stances
| Statement | Political journalists (Nmin=80) | All other journalists (Nmin=344) | General reporters (Nmin=190) | News specialists (Nmin=40) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journalists should always adhere to codes of professional ethics, regardless of situation and context | 4.65 (.58) | 4.65 (.60) | 4.65 (.62) | 4.78 (.57) |
| What is ethical in journalism depends on the specific situation | 2.52 (.1.45) | 2.62 (1.37) | 2.66 (1.35) | 2.30 (1.36) |
| What is ethical in journalism is a matter of personal judgment | 2.30 (1.39) | 2.39 (1.23) | 2.32 (1.19) | 2.15 (1.19) |
| It is acceptable to set aside moral standards if extraordinary circumstances require it | 2.04 (1.24) | 1.99 (1.15) | 2.01 (1.12) | 1.88 (1.17) |
| Mean of all answers | 2.88 | 2.91 | 2.91 | 2.78 |
Comparisons of political journalists’ stances on ethical practices against other groups, statistically significant differences
| Practice | All other journalists | General reporters | News specialists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using confidential business or government documents without authorisation | POLJOUR * | POLJOUR ** | |
| Getting employed in a firm or organisation to gain inside information | OTHERS * | GENREP ** | |
| Using hidden microphones or cameras | |||
| Using re-creations or dramatisations of news by actors | OTHERS ** | GENREP *** | |
| Claiming to be somebody else | OTHERS * | GENREP ** | |
| Exerting pressure on unwilling informants to get a story | OTHERS ** | GENREP *** | NEWSSPEC ** |
| Making use of personal documents such as letters and pictures without permission | NEWSSPEC * | ||
| Publishing stories with unverified content Paying people for confidential information | OTHERS * | GENREP * | |
| Altering photographs | |||
| Altering or fabricating quotes from sources | |||
| Accepting money from sources |
Comparisons of political journalists’ role perceptions against other groups, statistically significant differences
| Role | All other journalists | General reporters | News specialists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provide analysis of current affairs | POLJOUR *** | POLJOUR *** | |
| Monitor and scrutinise political leaders | POLJOUR *** | POLJOUR *** | |
| Provide information people need to make political decisions | POLJOUR *** | POLJOUR *** | POLJOUR ** |
| Report things as they are | OTHERS * | GENREP * | NEWSSPEC * |
| Be a detached observer | OTHERS *** | GENREP *** | NEWSSPEC * |
| Monitor and scrutinise business | |||
| Promote tolerance and cultural diversity | OTHERS * | GENREP ** | |
| Let people express their views | OTHERS * | GENREP ** | NEWSSPEC ** |
| Educate the audience | |||
| Tell stories about the world | OTHERS *** | GENREP *** | NEWSSPEC ** |
| Motivate people to participate in political activity | POLJOUR *** | POLJOUR *** | |
| Provide the kind of news that attracts the largest audience | OTHERS ** | GENREP ** | NEWSSPEC ** |
| Set the political agenda | POLJOUR ** | ||
| Influence public opinion | OTHERS *** | GENREP ** | NEWSSPEC * |
| Support national development | OTHERS ** | GENREP ** | NEWSSPEC * |
| Provide advice, orientation and direction for daily life | OTHERS *** | GENREP *** | NEWSSPEC *** |
| Advocate for social change | OTHERS *** | GENREP *** | NEWSSPEC ** |
| Provide entertainment and relaxation | OTHERS *** | GENREP *** | NEWSSPEC *** |
| Be an adversary of the government | |||
| Convey a positive image of political leadership | |||
| Support government policy |
Role perceptions of journalists
| Role | Political journalists (Nmin=73) | All other journalists (Nmin=326) | General reporters (Nmin=183) | News specialists (Nmin=37) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provide analysis of current affairs | 4.64 (.56) | 4.28 (.80) | 4.26 (.80) | 4.39 (.74) |
| Monitor and scrutinise political leaders | 4.61 (.61) | 3.69 (1.31) | 3.88 (1.16) | 4.39 (.80) |
| Provide information people need to make political decisions | 4.51 (.78) | 3.57 (1.26) | 3.80 (1.09) | 4.17 (.74) |
| Report things as they are | 4.41 (.71) | 4.56 (.73) | 4.57 (.74) | 4.68 (.52) |
| Be a detached observer | 4.23 (.77) | 4.51 (.74) | 4.54 (.76) | 4.56 (.63) |
| Monitor and scrutinise business | 3.79 (1.12) | 3.53 (1.25) | 3.65 (1.15) | 3.98 (.99) |
| Promote tolerance and cultural diversity | 3.64 (.99) | 3.92 (1.02) | 4.06 (.95) | 3.98 (.85) |
| Let people express their views | 3.55 (1.03) | 3.84 (1.02) | 3.99 (.94) | 4.12 (.75) |
| Educate the audience | 3.48 (.95) | 3.45 (.99) | 3.36 (.98) | 3.43 (.98) |
| Tell stories about the world | 3.45 (.99) | 4.13 (.85) | 4.10 (.83) | 4.07 (.66) |
| Motivate people to participate in political activity | 3.33 (1.08) | 2.53 (1.13) | 2.66 (1.12) | 3.00 (.98) |
| Provide the kind of news that attracts the largest audience | 2.96 (1.05) | 3.34 (1.01) | 3.39 (.95) | 3.56 (1.00) |
| Set the political agenda | 2.69 (1.09) | 2.34 (1.04) | 2.44 (1.03) | 2.45 (.93) |
| Influence public opinion | 2.59 (.96) | 3.09 (.98) | 3.05 (1.00) | 3.03 (.96) |
| Support national development | 2.56 (1.07) | 2.93 (1.02) | 2.95 (.98) | 3.05 (1.19) |
| Provide advice, orientation and direction for daily life | 2.46 (.93) | 3.26 (1.01) | 3.28 (.87) | 3.32 (.99) |
| Advocate for social change | 2.37 (1.01) | 2.95 (1.03) | 2.97 (1.09) | 3.00 (.93) |
| Provide entertainment and relaxation | 2.27 (.96) | 3.02 (1.08) | 3.00 (1.01) | 2.98 (.97) |
| Be an adversary of the government | 2.25 (1.10) | 2.05 (1.06) | 2.11 (1.08) | 2.27 (.99) |
| Convey a positive image of political leadership | 1.35 (.64) | 1.23 (.53) | 1.26 (.57) | 1.22 (.42) |
| Support government policy | 1.13 (.41) | 1.20 (.45) | 1.22 (.47) | 1.23 (.53) |
| Mean of all answers | 3.17 | 3.22 | 3.27 | 3.38 |
Journalists’ opinions on controversial ethical practices
| Practice | Political journalists (Nmin=63) | All other journalists (Nmin=313) | General reporters (Nmin=177) | News specialists (Nmin=38) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Using confidential business or government documents without authorisation | 1.90 (.47) | 2.06 (.52) | 2.08 (.51) | 1.98 (.52) |
| Getting employed in a firm or organisation to gain inside information | 2.30 (.49) | 2.13 (.55) | 2.10 (.54) | 2.15 (.53) |
| Using hidden microphones or cameras | 2.32 (.47) | 2.27 (.52) | 2.25 (.52) | 2.22 (.48) |
| Using re-creations or dramatisations of news by actors | 2.32 (.59) | 2.04 (.62) | 1.99 (.58) | 2.08 (.63) |
| Claiming to be somebody else | 2.49 (.50) | 2.32 (.52) | 2.29 (.50) | 2.40 (.50) |
| Exerting pressure on unwilling informants to get a story | 2.53 (.50) | 2.25 (.63) | 2.20 (.65) | 2.20 (.60) |
| Making use of personal documents such as letters and pictures without permission | 2.59 (.50) | 2.69 (.48) | 2.65 (.51) | 2.79 (.41) |
| Publishing stories with unverified content | 2.64 (.48) | 2.53 (.55) | 2.54 (.54) | 2.60 (.50) |
| Paying people for confidential information | 2.73 (.45) | 2.56 (.52) | 2.57 (.53) | 2.58 (.55) |
| Altering photographs | 2.82 (.39) | 2.73 (.47) | 2.68 (.50) | 2.80 (.41) |
| Altering or fabricating quotes from sources | 2.97 (.16) | 2.97 (.22) | 2.97 (.23) | 3.00 (.00) |
| Accepting money from sources | 3.00 (.00) | 2.99 (.15) | 2.98 (.21) | 3.00 (.00) |
| Mean of all answers | 2.55 | 2.47 | 2.48 | 2.48 |
Sampling information
| Political journalists | Other journalists | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of respondents | 80 | 345 |
| Data collection period | Dec. 2013 – Oct. 2014 | Mar. 2013 – Aug. 2013 |
| Data collection method | Online | Phone/email |
| Response rate (%) | 61 | 50–55* |
| Average age of respondents (years) | 51 | 43 |
| Gender distribution in sample (W/M; %) | 36/64 | 55/45 |