Columnists
Trust
Writing the news can be a precarious business. Especially in a small place like the County. Conflicts of interest are bound to happen as journalists inevitably mix with other members of the community and get involved in organizations and events.
Even larger news organizations must be careful, balancing a fine line between neutrality and revenue— when ad sales make up a majority of income, it’s important not to let those clients colour journalistic integrity.
It’s not easy, and some newsmakers have certainly failed that test. The result is a waning confidence in the profession, which has been reflected in polls showing the public has less confidence in journalists than in lawyers or car mechanics.
Ethical missteps by journalists are rarely illegal. Although they may bring about civil lawsuits, those are usually to do with accusations of libel, not illegal activity. But despite that, those missteps erode the public’s ability to rely on news writers for accurate information.
Which is harmful. The work journalists do brings to light the changes, corruption and inequality in our society. It polices bad policy on the social stage, tells the stories that would otherwise remain hidden amongst a small group of people. If the public can’t trust those stories, the good gets lost with the rare instances of misconduct.
Professionals who consistently come out with an even lower confidence rating, according to polling companies, are politicians and heads of state. In Canada, an in-depth polling study published in 2013 showed Canadians were skeptical politicians could be trusted to behave ethically, and few would be willing to forgive misconduct, even if that misconduct was an error in judgement.
And yet, politicians have a lot of power, making decisions about policies that affect our lives, about how to spend the tax dollars we send to the government. They choose how the weakest members of our society are taken care of. They shape our laws.
Trust must form part of our relationship to those people we elect for such an important job.
Which is why it’s so disappointing to hear Ontario’s ruling party cite the law in stating they did nothing wrong in their fundraising practices. With cabinet ministers aiming for half-million-dollar annual targets, soliciting the companies affected by the policy decisions they make, whether the policy is legal hardly seems the proper benchmark.
Whether or not the Ontario Liberals did anything wrong, they have affected public trust.
Now, Premier Kathleen Wynne promises to look at those policies and laws and have them changed. This comes only after the practice was revealed by the journalists working at the Toronto Star. Whatever her intention, the timing makes her promise seem hollow, lip service. Saving face.
Perhaps professionals of all kinds need to be reminded that whatever they do, however quietly, their actions can be much more far-reaching than their own conduct. It can affect an entire profession. And in this case, it can create a whole population of cynics who feel they have no choice but to elect ethically questionable representatives.
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