Computational journalism and ethics: An analysis of deontological codes of Latin American

Abstract

The so-called computational journalism is becoming increasingly important among media. Its emergence has given rise to numerous ethical dilemmas. The main goal of this research is to determine if the content of deontological codes is still a valid reference for professionals. More specifically, this research focuses on Latin America. A content analysis was the methodology applied to a selection of 18 ethical codes. Data were coded according to Dörr and Hollnbuchner (2017). Results show a great presence of principles such as respect for privacy, observation of legal status, objectivity or the authorship of data and results. On the contrary, we have not found any references to controlling software and techniques in any code. We concluded that the antiquity of the code is not a relevant factor, except for the Code of Ethics for Journalists and Communication Professionals of El Salvador.