Journalism Ethics in Eastern Europe

This textbook offers an overview of the current ethical challenges of public communication in general and of journalism in particular in Eastern Europe. It recalls the normative theories of media performance and describes the professionalisation and de-professionalisation of journalism. It explores the impacts of digitalisation and of platformisation on the news media and looks into the global and local reasons behind the inability of journalism to fully perform its democratic functions in Eastern Europe. It also offers a detailed account of the media systems and journalistic cultures of the region following the political transformations of 1989–1991 and identifies some of the most controversial practices of journalism to date. Then, in search of answers to the current ethical challenges of public communication, it describes the prevailing notions of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ journalism, changing public expectations vis-à-vis journalists, the specific challenges encountered by investigative reporters, the effects of online fake news on the journalistic profession, the changing practices of political and corporate censorship, and the differences between smear and scandal. Finally, it argues that ethical public communication calls for more than just ethical journalism: media policy must also be ethically based and seek answers that provide all citizens with equal access to the means of public communication.