Ethical Violations in Journalism: Analysis of Fake News Reporting by World News Daily Report
Overview
This paper analyzes a fake news article published by World News Daily Report about a lottery winner allegedly dumping manure on his former boss's lawn. The author examines how the article violates fundamental communication ethics standards including information verification, honesty, and accountability, while discussing the motivations behind publishing sensationalized misinformation.
What this essay covers
- Introduction: Overview of the World News Daily Report article and its false claims about Brian Morris
- Analysis of ethical violations: Lack of information verification, dishonesty in reporting, and failure to retract false information
- Discussion of evidence: Misuse of images, lack of police records, and investigation findings by NBC Chicago
Preview
Communication Ethics
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Communication Ethics
The news report of interest is by the World News Daily Report. The article reports that a man (Brian Morris) from Clarendon Hill in Dupage County dumbed a massive quantity of manure (20,000 tons) on his boss's lawn (World News Daily Report, 2021). According to the news, the dumbing was a mockery and an intentional disclosure of Mr. Morris’s displeasure with his boss. The criminal act followed his resignation from the company after winning $125 million from a lottery company. However, the news report lacks evidence since such an event did not occur. Notably, the image featured to display the joy of Mr. Morris is of another person. The image is of Mr. Ronald R. Searl from Clarendon Hills, who was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol (Walberg, 2014). The lack of data verification indicates that the journalist who wrote the fake news violated the ethical communication standard that calls for the verification of information before publishing.
The World News Daily Report article also violates the ethical communication standard that requires journalists to exhibit honesty. The article lies that Mr. Morris was arrested by Clarendon Hills Police Department officers and released on bail later. Nonetheless, a follow-up investigation by 5Chicago (2021) found that neither villagers nor Clarendon Hills police officers were aware or responded to such a public menace. Therefore, the article exhibits a welter of information, indicating that the author intended to lie or misinform the readers.