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Journalists’ ethics and the Special Communications Unit


By Michael Foley


It is a miracle that, as far as we know, no regional newspaper published material concerning the Government’s Project Ireland 2040 without it being clearly labelled as advertorial or special features, or written as a legitimate report. It's a miracle because the pressures to do so are enormous. Every day understaffed and under resourced


newsrooms are bombarded with material from well financed and well staffed public relations companies designed to look like editorial material. It might be well crafted news stories, videos and other online content, but the hope is a hardworking hack might just use it without any checking or without any health warnings that would let the readers, listeners or viewers know the provenance of a story. The now defunct Special Communications Unit was just another example of this, albeit pushing a rather big story. There have always been attempts to manipulate journalists, to confuse the public as to what is the result of independent journalism and where something is insinuated into editorial columns that has come from the advertising or PR industries. Property coverage comes to mind, and there are other areas where the editorial copy bears an uncanny similarity to the nearby advertisements. Today the pressures are even greater. The


traditional barrier between advertising and special features is breaking down. So-called ‘native advertising’, advertising designed to appear as editorial copy, is now ubiquitous. There are bloggers, often described as ‘influencers’ who are in receipt of money and products from the companies they promote online. And they see no conflict of interest. The people running the Special Communications Unit were probably from that world and could see little wrong with trying to slip something past, to get their expensively produced ‘copy’ accepted as editorial. But the real sin as far as Government is concerned is that this exercise, whether successful or not, would undermine independent journalism, sow distrust and further dismantle


Michael Foley Photo: Maxwell Photography


the barrier between ordinary editorial and advertising copy. A government, of course, that has stated its support of journalism when faced with the Independent News and Media issue around journalists’ information and sources. If journalism as an independent source of


news is to survive, and if journalists are to differentiate what they do and what ‘influencers’ public relations and others do, it will be through a very public adherence to ethics and ethical codes. Journalists must make it known that they can be trusted, and that the information they publish or broadcast is there because it was gathered in the public interest. The NUJ’s Code of Conduct is clear on this, it states: ‘A journalist strives to ensure that information disseminated is honestly conveyed, accurate and fair’.


Michael Foley represents the Republic of Ireland on the NUJ’s Ethics Council


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