Digital journalism and the need to redefine ethical codes

Digital technologies revolutionized journalism and the way media outlets work. At the same time, they influenced a change in the audience's habits, which migrated from traditional media to Internet platforms. Digital journalism, online newsrooms, portals, social networks, and other Internet platforms have led to a situation in which the news spread incredibly quickly. In a situation in which every citizen can now publish information and photos, join live from any point on the planet, and local media outlets can publish globally attractive news and topics, traditional journalism and traditional media outlets are facing enormous pressure. First of all, they should adapt their operations to the new circumstances and speed up the process of verification of information, photos, and other content. Faced with the need to catch up with that speed, there is a danger of an increase in negative phenomena, such as fake news, manipulations, and spins, which not only go against the universal ethical norms but can also have a devastating effect on the reputation of the media outlets. In the existing circumstances, it is necessary to answer the following question – what are the biggest challenges in terms of compliance with the universal ethical norms in digital journalism, and whether there is a need for revision and upgrade of the existing ethical codes. In that context is the question of whether the ethical codes of the Western Balkan countries follow the trends of the countries that lead in terms of media outlets' freedom. A comparison was therefore made of the codes of ethics of the five countries that have the leading positions according to the Media Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders that encompassed the codes of ethics of the five Western Balkan countries.