Journo Dilemma: To Hack or not to Hack?

Discuss the risks of privacy violations and hacking in your planned profession.

Standish (2014) restates William Randolph Heart’s words, “News is something somebody doesn’t want printed; all else is advertising.” Exposing that hidden information has recently more than ever brought forward privacy violations and prospect hacking in the journalism field. In what Standish (2014) calls an anti-privacy culture we live in, how far are journalists required to go to find those stories? Is privacy just another word that holds no substance or relevance in today’s digital age?

In the early days of the World Wide Web more so than now hacking was seen as a tool to improve the way the system works by modification and sharing of information (Flew, 2014). This type of hacking is still evident such as those who are employed by companies to hack their systems to show glitches in their internet security.  However today there is more emphasis on the illegal hacking that Giles (2014) states is the emergence of a cyber-war that has threatened national security and the freedom and privacy of internet users. This is due to the fact that it is almost near impossible to secure cyberspace because of its infinite nature and the countless loopholes that allows hacking into computer systems (Giles, 2014).

Others see this as a way to exercise democracy and their right to freedom of speech which is what has spawned internet vigilantes. This includes Anonymous who have made various attacks to fight censorship in places such as Malaysia (Salman, 2013).

Another controversial hacker forum is Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks. Here the idea of complete transparency ethicality is tested (Hamilton, 2013). Through hacking and whistle-blowers the site looks to uncover truths and covered up atrocities by governments. However the transparency of posting classified documents and exposing names and private information can be seen as potentially reckless. It has been argued although there has been no evidence thus far that due to the leaks not only national security but people and innocent people associated with them may be targeted and have their lives at risk (Elsea, 2013). This complacency can be seen as a disregard of potential innocent life and begs the question how much should or do we need to know and at what cost?

The importance of investigative journalism (GIJN, 2014).

Focusing back on privacy violations, it becomes an ethical issue within the journalist profession if the intrusive act of hacking is not influenced by public interest. Strand (2014) states that investigative journalist is needed and is sometimes requires to breach certain privacy rules. However each situation needs to be assessed individually where the public interest and overall good outcome should outweigh the intrusiveness.

Pearson and Polden (2011) stated that when considering whether to be intrusive you first have to determine the nature of the private material and how you will go about retrieving it. The next step is determining the public interest which looks at the social status of the individual/s and whether there will be future harm or consequences from exposing this information.

A prime example of how far journalists go and how dire the situation can become is the News of the World (NOTW) phone hacking scandal in the UK. These journalists partook in phone-hacking of royals and other famous celebrities for an exclusive scoop but it was only when Milly Dowler was murdered that the full-scale of the scandal was brought to light. Those who are unfamiliar with the story, the 13-year-old teen girl was abducted and murdered. While she was still missing NOTW hacked the teenager’s phone and deleted messages in the message bank so the phone and they could be the first to receive any information about her whereabouts. Her parents and police saw this phone activity and thought Milly could still be alive which we later learned was not the case (Jennings, 2011).

NOTW was taken to court and was shut-down by owner Rupert Murdoch. Journalists and the former editor were sentenced for their part in the hacking and bribery of policemen (Dearden, 2014). This was a grim intrusion of privacy that questions the integrity of journalists and how far they may go for a story.

As journalists we have a responsibility.  If we are exposing the truths we have to decide whether we are doing it in a way that doesn’t bring more harm than good. The risks include journalist being sent to jail for their intrusions or innocent people being targeted due to the information journalists do share. There is no doubt that if there is substantial public interest and safety of others is assessed, privacy violations and hacking is needed in order to make those who are doing the wrong thing accountable. Although before going to these lengths it may be smart to get legal advice and have a clear understanding with the court of law. Taking that law course doesn't seem so bad after all!

References

Dearden, L. (2014, July 4). Andy Coulson jailed for 18 months: News of the World journalists sentenced for phone hacking. The Independent. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/andy-coulson-jailed-news-of-the-world-journalists-sentenced-for-phone-hacking-9583769.html

Elsea, J. K. (2013). Criminal prohibitions on the publication of classified defense information. Current Politics and Economics of the United States, Canada and Mexico, 15(2), 161-203. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1623234924?accountid=26503

Flew, T. (2014). New Media: An Introduction (4th. Ed.). Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Giles   http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21606416-companies-markets-and-countries-are-increasingly-under-attack-cyber-criminals

GIJN. (2014). Why investigative journalism matters: Impact infographic. Global Investigative Network. Retrieved from http://impact.gijn.org/   

Hamilton, C. (2013). Symbolic amateurs: On the discourse of amateurism in contemporary media culture. Cultural Studies Review, 19(1), 177-192. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1356988986?accountid=26503

Jennings, M. M. (2011). You cannot talk your way out of a situation that your conduct got you into: lessons in ethics from the Murdoch events. Corporate Finance Review, 16(2), 37-41. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/902185672?accountid=26503

Pearson, M. & Polden, M. (2011). The Journalist's Guide to Media Law. 4th edition. Allen & Unwin, Sydney.

Standish, D. (2014). There is no such thing as a free press...and we need one more than ever. Theory in Action, 7(1), 94-99. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1495902449?accountid=26503

Salman, A., Saad, S., & Ali, M. N. S. (2013). Dealing with ethical issues among internet users: Do we need legal enforcement?Asian Social Science, 9(8), 3-8. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1349414180?accountid=26503