Journalism ethics in a digital environment: How journalistic codes of ethics have been adapted to the Internet and ICTs in countries around the world

We examine how journalistic codes of ethics have been updated since the emergence of the Internet and ICTs.We have analyzed 99 journalistic codes of ethics from around the world.Only 9 of the 99 codes analyzed include references to the Internet and ICTs.Most of the codes only highlight that digital journalism falls under the rules and principles of traditional journalism.The codes with the most references to the Internet and ICTs are those of Canada and The Netherlands. Journalism is facing new ethical issues because of the emergence of the Internet and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). In this article, we examine how journalistic codes of ethics have been updated to address this new reality. Three research questions are explored through a systematic analysis of 99 codes from around the world. Results show that, of the 99 codes analyzed, only 9 include references to the Internet and ICTs. We conclude with proposals for changes in the codes that would help journalists resolve these new moral issues.

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