THE ELEMENTS OF JOURNALISTIC ETHICS PRINCIPLES FOR CITIZEN JOURNALISTS

Abstract

This research aims to examine the elements of journalistic ethics principles and to investigate factors influencing ethical journalistic decision-making by citizen journalists. The findings revealed that journalism ethics principles for citizen journalists have 9 elements, ordered by their respective weights of factor loading from highest to lowest: 1) Principle of business interest or the absence of conflicts of interest, 2) Principle of protecting vulnerable groups, 3) Principle of giving importance to policy public events and disasters, 4) Principle of human rights, dignity, and personal rights, 5) Principles of culture and morality of society, 6) Principles of respect for copyright and intellectual property, 7) Principles of public interest and social responsibility, 8) Principles of fairness, equality, comprehensiveness, diversity of opinions, and 9) Principles of accuracy and integrity of information. The study findings indicate that internal factors influence the ethical decision-making of political journalism practitioners, comprising 5 aspects: 1) Disclosure of the full name or identity of citizen journalists, 2) Knowledge and experience of citizen journalists, 3) Proximity to the news subjects or information sources, 4) Citizen journalists' benefits, and 5) Accessibility to information sources. Additionally, 3 external factors: 1) Competition among citizen journalists and influencers in social media, 2) Lack of caution in using technology for news reporting, and 3) Lack of regulation from media organizations or professional associations.