Editorial independence
{{short description|Freedom of editors to make decisions}}
Editorial independence refers to the freedom of journalists and media organizations to make content decisions—such as what to report, how to report it, and when to report it—without external influence from owners, governments, advertisers, or other outside forces. This principle ensures that news reporting is guided by journalistic ethics and the public interest, rather than by political or commercial agendas.{{Cite web |date=2024-06-05 |title=Editorial Independence - Definition & Detailed Explanation - Media Law and Ethics Glossary Terms - SimplyGlobalMedia.com |url=https://simplyglobalmedia.com/media-law-and-ethics-glossary/editorial-independence-2/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-04-19 |language=en-US}}
Discussion
Editorial independence has been at the center of debates when labeling outlets as state media.{{Cite web |last=Goodfellow |first=Melanie |date=2023-04-24 |title=France Télévisions Boss Decries Twitter’s Attempt To Label Media Orgs: “To See An American Billionaire Play With Our Independence Like This… Is Terrifying.” |url=https://deadline.com/2023/04/france-television-delphine-ernotte-cunci-twitter-elon-musk-terrifying-1235334706/ |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Attacks on Public Media are an Attack on Democracy |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/media/154 |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}} Journalists and public broadcasters with editorial independence object to labeling that focuses on whether or not they get funding from a government as misleading audiences to believe that it impacts their coverage. Before Elon Musk, Twitter did not label media like The BBC as 'state-affiliated' because of that independence explaining that the independence is what readers really wanted to know.{{Cite web |last=Brodkin |first=Jon |date=2023-04-21 |title=Twitter stops labeling Russia’s RT and China’s Xinhua as “state-affiliated media” |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/04/twitter-stops-labeling-russias-rt-and-chinas-xinhua-as-state-affiliated-media/ |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=Ars Technica |language=en}} Elon musks move to change that in 2023 drew backlash from critics arguing it represented a false equivalence between outlets tightly-controlled by the state and those free to criticize their own government.{{Cite news |last=Yang |first=Maya |date=2023-04-12 |title=NPR to quit Twitter after being labelled ‘state-affiliated media’ |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/apr/12/npr-leaves-twitter-elon-musk-state-media |access-date=2025-05-31 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} YouTube also faced similar criticisms in 2018 and 2019 for its label attempts that focused on funding instead of editorial independence.{{Cite web |last=Kofman |first=Ava |date=2019-11-22 |title=YouTube Promised to Label State-Sponsored Videos But Doesn’t Always Do So |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/youtube-promised-to-label-state-sponsored-videos-but-doesnt-always-do-so |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=ProPublica |language=en}} The transition away from editorial independence also led to protests in Hungary in 2024.{{Cite news |date=2024-10-05 |title=Thousands protest in Hungary demanding end to state media 'propaganda' |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/thousands-protest-hungary-demanding-end-state-media-propaganda-2024-10-05/ |access-date=2025-05-31 |work=Reuters |language=en}}
See also
{{Portal|Journalism}}
- Freedom of the press, the freedom from interference by governments
- Media independence
- Media manipulation
- Objectivity (journalism)
- Media policy