The attitudes of Icelandic journalists towards controversial news-gathering practices

Abstract

In this article we focus on the attitudes of Icelandic journalists towards various professional ethic codes and news-gathering practices that can otherwise be considered “unconventional”, and are often controversial, such as the use of hidden cameras, the use of confidential documents without authorization or concealing their journalist’s identity. We use data from a survey that was submitted to news journalists in Iceland in the spring of 2021. The survey is part of the international comparative study, Worlds of Journalism Studies. A similar survey was conducted in 2012, and the findings of these two surveys are compared to analyze changes in the attitudes of Icelandic journalists over the past decade.

The results show that the use of hidden recording devices and the use of confidential business or government documents enjoys strong and widespread support within the profession. Support for concealing one´s journalist’s identity has grown significantly, but the use of private data is more controversial.