Ethics Over Easy Money – On Paid News Menace

The internet and social media have completely transformed how we communicate, consume news and share information in ways we never imagined. While it has sped up dissemination of news and information, posing an unprecedented challenge to traditional mainstream media, particularly newspapers, it has also become a breeding ground for fake news, propaganda, misinformation and plagiarism. Driven by the need to grab internet users’ attention amid growing competition, many social media influencers and YouTube channels are resorting to sensationalism and the unauthorised use of content from various sources at the expense of nuance. Some have the audacity to use content from mainstream media without giving proper attribution, undermining the efforts put into a news story, from gathering information to verification to editing, while others demand cash for covering events, pushing journalistic ethics to the backseat at the cost of public trust and distortion of public perception about important issues. This growing trend – plagiarism and paid journalism (or paid news) – is a threat to the credibility and integrity of journalism, which needs to be addressed with urgency.

Paid news is "any news or analysis appearing in any media (print and electronic) for a price in cash or kind as consideration", according to the Press Council of India (PCI), which oversees the freedom of the press as well as maintains the standards of newspapers in the country. The statutory body reminds the print media about the Norms of Journalistic Conduct, particularly on paid news, from time to time, especially during elections. As for publishing advertorials, newspapers are ought to clearly mention that it’s paid promotional content, adhering to journalistic ethics and upholding readers’ trust through transparency. However, publishing paid news continues, especially YouTube news channels, which don’t fall under the jurisdiction of PCI. This unethical practice has to be stopped for more reasons than one. For instance, if a news channel or a newspaper publishes/covers events, personalities or products in exchange for payment, whether in cash or kind, fair reporting is doubtful and credibility sacrificed on the altar of monetary gains. If a controversy arises in connection with the personalities or products they had promoted in return for cash, will they have the moral courage to give a fair report? Or will the public trust them? Doubtful. That’s the price one has to pay for succumbing to the paid news trap. Media should not deviate from its fundamental objectives of serving the public with accurate, fair, and unbiased information on matters of public interest. Erosion of ethics in journalism is a matter of grave concern that should not be ignored.