(THUNDER CLASHES)
We've been scooped on the zombie story.
Help! Help me, Awesomeman!
(IN DISTANCE) Help! Help me, Awesomeman!
(ENGINE ROARS, TYRES SCREECH)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER) (PHONES RING)
What do you think of these? Terrible.
What did you use for that - a potato?
When you look at pop culture, it's not unusual
to see journalists portrayed as, well, kind of...
..heroic.
Clark! It's Dirk.
Give me 599 words on this guy.
I want to know where he's from, who he works for,
what he had for breakfast,
where he gets his hair done...
It looks fantastic. Book me in.
I want to know what size shoes he wears...
WOMAN: (IN DISTANCE) Help! Help! ..does he get them polished,
are they leather, does he have children, what school...
Help! Help me, Awesomeman!
Help!
Help! Clark! Dirk! Kent! What's your name?
Are you listening to me?
Oh. Uh...wow! Uh...look over there!
What? Why? What is it?
(WHOOSH!)
I don't see anything.
Uh, just keep looking!
Do you see anything? Uh...
What am I supposed to be looking at? Uh...just look harder!
I have cataracts!
Ooh! An ice-cream truck.
Is it the man with the Ray Martin haircut?
I can't see anything.
Dirk.
Dirk?!
Where's he gone?
Why is he always doing that?
You - find out why he's always doing that.
(BIRDS CALL)
Maybe we see journalists as heroes because, ideally,
they're people who fight for truth and justice.
WOMAN: Ooh! Ooh! (DOG YAPS)
MAN: You...you hooligan!
Ohh! Ohh! Aaaaaagh!
Ohh!
Aaaaaagh!
(WOMAN EXCLAIMS, SOBS)
But in the real world, it's more complicated than that.
(SOBS)
We were just walking along, and....
..and then, up there, up in the sky, and he came...
In the sky? Yes! Up in the sky!
And then, out of his eyes...
Journalists don't always get it right.
They sometimes cut corners,
deliberately do the wrong thing,
or just make mistakes. Look at him - he's just ashes!
Which is why they can sometimes be seen as less super and more suspect.
..a superhero costume.
In fact, when people are asked to list the professions
they trust the most, and the least,
journalists usually rank down the bottom,
along with lawyers, politicians, and people who sell used cars.
That's not necessarily fair to the journalists -
or the used car salespeople.
Do you recognise any of these people?
But it might be because journalists have a lot of power.
Maybe him.
And, as a wise man once said,
with great power comes great responsibility.
Oh, yes. Definitely you.
(SIGHS)
To help guide journalists on the right path,
many news organisations and professional journalism associations
have codes of ethics.
While they differ in the details,
they're usually based on some common principles
like honesty, accuracy,
fairness, independence,
and respect for the rights of others.
Let's start...
..with honesty.
Oof!
Oh! I'm so sorry!
The honesty code is all about, well, being truthful.
She caught him! Oh! Good work!
Yes. Yes, I did catch him all by myself. It was...
While that might seem kind of obvious,
it can be tempting for journalists to embellish the truth...
You know? But I was fighting some mutant ninjas at the time,
but I knew I was needed.
..or downright make things up
to make a story seem more exciting, unusual or shocking.
I did. Were they red lasers?
But it's easy to see how making stuff up can backfire big-time.
Uh, your... A hero.
Yes, I know. I get it all the time.
..frisbee - you dropped it.
Ah. Thanks.
A very famous case of dishonesty in journalism
involved an American reporter named Stephen Glass.
In the late 1990s
he was writing knockout articles for famous magazines.
Problem was, he made things up -
sources, quotes, entire stories -
and covered his tracks in sneaky ways.
Eventually, he was caught out, fired, and publicly shamed.
So, lying's a big no-no.
But just being honest isn't really good enough.
Journalists should also do everything they can to be accurate.
Through here, man. Come on.
No, that way.
Mm, they're good. Mmm. Yeah, really good, these ones.
I like the chocolate on the top.
Journalists can face a lot of pressure
to be the first to get a story.
Got 'em!
Um...were we looking for someone?
Nah, it's alright, mate. We already got him.
Got 'em!
(SNORTS)
But speed and accuracy don't always go hand in hand.
Got 'em!
What's this guy's deal? Ugh!
He's really not very good at this.
Fast, though.
(DOG SNARLS)
For example, imagine picking up a newspaper
and seeing yourself falsely identified as a terrorist.
That's what happened to an innocent teenager in Australia.
In 2014, three Fairfax newspapers
published a photo of him on the front page,
naming him as terror suspect Numan Haider.
It's believed the photo was taken from social media,
even though he'd never uploaded it.
In the end, he got a big payout
and a front-page apology for the mistake.
(CHA-CHING!)
So it's really important to be accurate,
and that means doing your homework and checking your facts.
But it's also important to be fair.
(SIGHS)
So, uh, you're the good cop and you're the bad cop?
(LAUGHS MANIACALLY)
OK. Uh...serious.
Fairness is about being objective
and not trying to sway your audience
towards any particular point of view.
If we're going to play games,
we're going to need another doughnut.
(DOOR CREAKS, SLAMS)
Ha! Aaaaaaagh!
I know you're guilty.
Confess.
I didn't do anything, I swear! Liar!
Journalists should look at all sides of a story
and never assume guilt.
If someone's accused of something in the press
they should be given the right to defend themselves.
I was at little Timmy's birthday party, making balloon animals! See?
(BANG!) Aagh!
I hope someone likes sprinkles! Mmm. (CHUCKLES)
What the...?! You can't be in here!
Sorry. I thought I was helping. What?
He's a clown. Ugh!
He's got a thing about clowns.
I hate clowns.
Clowns are creepy.
Their weird, weird faces
and their dead eyes like a fish.
A giant ocean of dead fish.
Fairness is also about avoiding negative stereotypes
or putting unnecessary emphasis on things like race, religion, age,
sexual orientation or physical ability.
You know what clowns are gonna do with that power?
They're gonna become some kind of clown universe world
where the only people who are allowed
to make any kind of animals out of balloons...
..are clowns.
There have been many times when Australian media outlets
have been accused of overemphasising race in stories about crime.
While it's sometimes appropriate to describe a suspect's skin colour,
it's only as relevant as other physical attributes
like their hair colour or their height,
and it usually doesn't belong in a headline.
(NEWS PLAYS ON TV)
You. I want 400 words - "Creepy clowns terrorise city." Now!
You - type faster.
You - turn this up.
I love this guy.
So I burst through the door and kicked it down...
Journalists are also supposed to be independent.
Hey, Lola! Check it out!
That Captain guy just saved some kids from a burning building!
..it was just an absolute inferno.
So I grabbed both of the kids under my shoulders
and I just chucked them outside.
And really, it was quite a heroic thing to do.
But really, the true heroes of the day
are Mutual Standard Fire Insurance,
the company you turn to when things get hot. (LAUGHS)
That means they shouldn't report
on things they have a vested interest in,
and they shouldn't profit from their stories.
And just like I saved these kids,
Mutual Standard Fire Insurance can save you on your monthly premiums.
Isn't that right, there, little Nina?
(COUGHS)
A famous real-world example of this was the 'cash for comment' affair.
Back in 1999, it came out that
some well-known Sydney radio hosts were being paid by several companies
to make positive comments about them on air.
While they weren't journalists, many felt this was dishonest.
The station was investigated
by the Australian Media and Communication Authority,
and fined.
ACMA said, while it's OK for media organisations to advertise,
they have to make it clear that an ad is an ad
and not misrepresent it as an honest opinion, or as news.
Call 1300 20 FIRE.
That's 1300 20 FIRE. (SNORTS) Hack.
Finally, journalists are expected to show humanity
and respect for the rights of others.
(MUNCHES)
They should respect people's right to privacy,
especially when dealing with vulnerable sources
like children, or people who have been through something traumatic.
While there are times
when hidden cameras can expose serious wrongdoings,
they should only be used as a last resort.
Secretly recording a conversation
is actually illegal in a lot of cases.
An infamous example of the press invading people's privacy
was the News Of The World scandal.
In 2011, it came to light
that the British newspaper had hired investigators
to hack into the phones of celebrities, victims of crime,
politicians, and members of the Royal Family.
The scandal led to a big public investigation
and the newspaper eventually closed down.
Now, I know what you might be thinking -
why do we let the media have so much power
when we know they don't always use it properly?
Oh! Ouchy!
Well, there are some checks and balances.
There are laws which stop them defaming people,
inciting racial hatred
or interfering with court cases.
There are also organisations
set up to look into complaints about the media,
and they have some power to punish.
But, for the most part,
the Australian media is self-regulating.
In other words, it's left to police itself.
That's terrible. WOMAN: (IN DISTANCE) Help!
Totally unethical. Help!
Uh...I gotta go. Help me, Awesomeman!
And there are some good reasons for that.
While it isn't perfect,
the media plays a really important role in democracy.
It needs to have power so it can take on the powerful,
expose injustice,
search for truth,
and help us all to fight for a better society.
Captions by Red Bee Media
Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation