Due to the diversity of journalistic formats and transformation of traditional media, there are discussions regarding the application of certain provisions of the Ethics Code of the Ukrainian Journalist in the work of a certain media outlet.
The Commission on Journalistic Ethics considers it necessary to clarify the use of the Code in the genres of tabloid journalism.
This style of journalism is primarily associated with sensationalism and a simplified approach to topics. Readers expect a concise and visually appealing presentation from tabloid media (both print and online). Materials are designed for the widest possible audience, so journalists use simple or figurative language, clickbait headlines, and vivid images.
Media can achieve the goal of covering high-profile subjects and engaging more readers using various professional and stylistic means. All these means can be used if they are in line with journalistic and ethical standards, and it would be incorrect to claim that a certain style is superior to others.
The existence of various media on the market — from entertaining to analytical — diversifies the information space, providing every user with access to information that serves their needs.
Under the classification adopted in Western countries, print and online media can be divided into “quality press” and “tabloid press.” This division is not synonymous with a contemptuous attitude towards the tabloid press, but only an indication of the style of a certain publication, certain expectations of the audience. In the West, publications such as tabloids are a business, but at the same time they are often included in self-regulatory systems in the media and are responsible for violations of professional and ethical standards.
The advantage of tabloids lies in the ability to quickly attract public attention to important issues, in the ability to reach different groups of the audience, including those who are not reached by other media. There are examples when foreign tabloids are criticized for interference in private life, violating the rights of private individuals, including minors, and false information.
In the Ukrainian media environment, there is no clear delineation of formats: there are very few pure tabloids; however, materials in the genre of tabloid journalism are regularly found in many media under the relevant verticals. Such materials are focused on scandals, criminal stories, private lives of celebrities etc. These publications are mostly short and use various stylistic means to generate drama or clickbait.
The below recommendations of the Commission pertain to tabloid journalism as a genre and are directed at everyone who uses this genre.
1. The Ethics Code of the Ukrainian Journalist defines approaches that all media representatives should use in their work. This applies to those in tabloid journalism. Therefore, journalists should improve their ethical practices and adhere to the provisions of the Code.
2. There is editorial freedom in choosing topics for coverage and genres. At the same time, the media proceed from public demand and their own values. No one can force journalists to disseminate information that does not meet these criteria. At the same time, editors must distinguish satisfying the interest of readers from indulging the low needs of the audience: the desire to humiliate or painfully offend someone, to subject someone to harassment, to learn about the details of private life, etc. Such actions are incompatible with journalistic ethics.
3. Unlike classical journalism, the main task of tabloids is to entertain, even when covering serious topics. Therefore, in its desire to reach the largest possible audience, tabloid journalism often focuses on scandals and the negative side of life. Satisfying the readers’ need for such topics, a tabloid still cannot to manipulate people’s feelings, cause them fear and anxiety, and reinforce negative emotions. Media activity should strengthen society, not make it weaker.
4. Journalists should avoid unverified facts and rumors, be careful when covering criminal events and not publish information that could identify victims or offenders. Authors must verify information before publication, as publishing information without attempting to verify it in reliable sources is a violation of the Ethics Code.
5. Many publications in the genre of tabloid journalism are compilations of posts on social networks or discussions of such posts. The use of social networks is permissible, but on a par with other sources through which journalists verify information or find additional facts. It should be noted that journalism based exclusively on social media posts strengthens the polarization of society and causes distrust.
6. Journalists must respect a person’s private life. Dissemination of private information without a person’s consent, such as health status, home address, children’s names, etc., is a violation of journalistic ethics. This principle applies to a lesser extent to public figures, who must be prepared for a broader extent of criticism and for greater attention to them and to their loved ones. An individual’s right to privacy may be a lower priority than security or the public interest, but in any case such interference by journalists must be justified.
7. Discrimination of certain groups of people on the basis of ethnicity, gender, or other permanent characteristics is a gross violation of ethics. Hate speech cannot be present in headlines, illustrations, and other media materials, even in the tabloid genre. Journalists should not exploit negative social stereotypes about women or other groups of people.
8. Sensationalism in tabloid journalism is justified as a tool that helps draw attention to a difficult or little-covered topic and encourages public debate. At the same time, sensationalism, which only exploits a “hot topic” for the entertainment of the public, and ignores important social problems by giving preference to smaller, but more “clickable” ones, undermines public trust in the role of the media in helping to resolve problems. It is essential to avoid overlooking significant issues in favor of more “clickable” ones.