Ethics in British Journalism: A reflective overview

Abstract

Preparing for my MA dissertation project in 2000, I expressed to my tutor my interest in investigating the state of journalism ethics in the UK.  He dismissed it as an outdated topic. He referred me to the belief the British journalism industry held at the time that ethics is engrained in their journalism culture and there had been no serious shortcomings. Fast forward to 2011 and journalism ethics found its way quick and fast into almost every single UK newsroom editorial team discussion. The story of the News International phone hacking scandal tainted British press with a dark shadow. The scandal led to the setting of a public inquiry that became known as the Leveson Inquiry. In July 2011 Sir Brian Henry Leveson chaired a public inquiry into culture, practices and ethics of the British press followed the revelation that murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler phone had been hacked by journalists from News of the World newspaper, which had a knock effect on the police investigation into the school girl murder. Editors and journalists were prosecuted and the scandal resulted in closing down one of Britain’s oldest newspapers, News of the World.