The Power of Unethical Journalism

Morgan Lind, Clubs Editor

  Unethical journalism is something that occurs more than often, and with the spread of COVID-19 information can become false or incorrect. During the beginning of the COVID-19, many different news stations came out with very different information regarding the new virus, which created panic amongst people since they had no idea what was going to happen. Things like this tend to occur more and more amongst the media and it causes paranoia and anxiety amongst many. Journalism is something that is extremely important in order to give people updated news and information, but when it becomes unethical, where false and exaggerated news is being distributed is harmful. 

  Unethical journalism has always been a big part of the news environment but with a virus that is infecting millions, having information that is false can lead to other possible things. Sophomore Andrea Perez-Ramirez expresses, “I feel like all around the world, people have been trying to find answers about symptoms, causes, and anything else on how the coronavirus is affecting them. The media often provided information that later proved to be incorrect”. When promoting information about the Coronavirus it’s important to list the news that is fully correct. Many watch the news and get most of their updates and information from platforms such as NBC or CNN, which allow them to become aware of the dangers that are occurring and how they can stay safe. “ I actually hate how they are reporting on the Coronavirus. They are piling up all of the negative information such as death tolls and other things, instead of how many people have survived and are well”. The news is filled with negative information and constantly putting out news that can be saddening. The power of journalism is very big and impacts other areas including news stations and companies, and with it being unethical at times, by having information that hasn’t been confirmed to be true put out it can become dangerous very quickly.