Treading waters: The many socio-ethical challenges of science and health journalism
Authors: Fleerackers, A. and Nguyen, A.
Editors: McKinnon, M. and Walsh-Childers, K.
Publisher: Palgrave
Abstract:Science and health journalism are challenging for many epistemological reasons — the often-complex nature of their subject matters; the delicate balance between good news and rigorous knowledge; the tension between the journalistic and the scientific methods; and the rather slippery boundary between advocating the good causes of science and serving the interest of the public. These challenges are becoming even more critical in our contemporary world, where science expands much faster than the lay public can grasp and often intersects with complex, usually controversial, socio-ethical considerations. In the face of overwhelming evidence that human actions are causing environmental destruction, for example, is it reasonable to expect journalists to stay detached? Should journalists take sides to suppress anti-vaccination arguments and perspectives, especially at critical times such as the Covid-19 pandemic? When failing to advocate could result in death or destruction, what is the “ethical” choice?
This tension is one that science and health journalists must navigate on an almost daily basis. It requires serious efforts in every stage of the news production, presentation, and dissemination processes, all of which must be guided by a strong set of ethical principles. Yet, of the dozens of professional science and health journalism associations around the world that we checked during the writing of this chapter, only a few — such as the Association for Healthcare Journalists, the National Science Writers Association, and the Science Journalists Association of India — have published their own codes of ethics. Even the World Federation of Science Journalists is still working to develop such guidelines — more than 15 years after members started calling for them (Jia, 2007). All this begs the question: do science and health journalists need their own set of ethical principles? If yes, what should be its key components? This chapter sets out to address these and related questions. Following Ward’s (2019) advice for journalism ethicists, we aim to be “part visionary and part pragmatic” (p. 319), balancing what is realistic with what is, or could be, desirable in the future from an ethical perspective. We will acknowledge but also seek to move beyond the limitations journalists face in covering health and science research in three ways. First, we discuss why science journalism is not science communication, as it is often misunderstood, through establishing a public service function that sets science journalism apart from other related professions. On the basis of this core function, we draw on journalism scholarship and existing codes to explore the unique ethical challenges inherent to health and science journalism and discuss considerations journalists must keep in mind in attempting to navigate them. Finally, we highlight key areas of tension for such ethics that warrant further attention, laying the groundwork for scholars and practitioners to continue to critique, problematize, and build on our work.
Source: Manual
