Analysis of the Ethical Lapses in Journalism When Using Chat Records for Reporting

Abstract

In the current era, news stories that utilize private chat records from social media as source material have attracted a substantial audience. However, there has been public debate regarding whether this practice breaches individual privacy management primarily and crosses the boundaries of journalistic ethics. This paper investigates the phenomenon of using private chat records from social media as news material, and its impact on personal privacy management and the boundaries of journalistic ethics. Specifically, the study focuses on how this practice disrupts the privacy management of chat record subjects, particularly in terms of boundary linkage, boundary permeability, and boundary ownership, thereby leading to issues of journalistic ethical lapses. The aim of the research is to propose methods for regulating journalistic practices and promoting the establishment of a "right to be forgotten" for social media users, in order to standardize journalistic boundaries, achieve boundary coordination, and reshape journalistic ethics. The main methodology of this paper is case analysis, complemented by literature review. The article employs Communication Privacy Management Theory as its theoretical framework and analyzes relevant journalistic cases. This paper finds that by standardizing the way journalists use news materials and promoting the establishment of the "Right to be Forgotten" for social media users, it is possible to regulate their news boundaries, achieve boundary coordination, and reshape their journalistic ethics.