Abstract:

This paper presents the boundaries of what journalism can do when covering politics: laws, codes of conduct, criticism, and fair commentary. It examines the ethical norms that arise in both mainstream and non-mainstream media, from newspapers, broadcasters, social media users, and bloggers. The research redefines traditional concepts of journalistic truth-seeking, objectivity and harm-minimization within the structures of global media platforms. The article outlines the contours of new mainstream media ethics. The paper poses a problem for global media ethics based on cosmopolitan principles. With the ability of political leaders to fully control the new mixed media, the adherence of some public officials to norms and ethical standards has decreased. For too long, norms, ethics, traditions have been used only to maintain standards of social behavior. The research methods used in the article argue that the current situation is partly due to the fact that social stigma no longer serves as a mechanism for restraining the behavior of public officials. This article is a refinement of the ideas originally presented in the Political Correctness Report. So, the study revealed three mechanisms: 1. To redefine the professional role of the journalist as a defender of the public good;  2. The role of enforcing codes of ethics in establishing appropriate standards of conduct for journalists.  3. Strengthening legal and formal regulations for the conduct of public officials in the new mixed media space.

Keywords:

political journalism, official conduct, journalistic conduct, pressure on ethics, instrumentalisation of journalism, journalistic platformisation

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