The Obligations of a Strategic Communicator

A professor I once had told our journalism class that as a strategic communicator we held a very valuable role in society. We are, according to this professor the caretakers of the powerful pen. This idea of actually being the powerful pen has impacted me throughout my journalism career and is reflected in my views of the obligation of a strategic communicator.
According to Power and the News Media by Teun A. van Dijk controlling the minds of the consumer is effective when "the media users do not realize the nature or the implications of such control and when they change their minds of their own free will, as when they accept news reports as true or journalistic opinions as legitimate or correct." This meaning that a consumer would not be aware of their own decision making due to the heavy influence from the media. I believe that media abuses this power on a very regular basis, not necessarily with malicious intent but instead with the hopes of better ratings or creating buzz for their audience.
The Goerge Zimmerman trial was highly publicized for race related issues. Many media professionals cite this case as an example of how the media took the law into their own hands and found Zimmerman guilty for racism in the eye of the public. Editor-in-chief of IVN News Shawn M. Griffiths wrote in response to the media's grasp on societal views that "the majority of Americans still rely on television news sources to stay informed, cable news stations have a responsibility to provide citizens with information they need, not just speculative conjecture just to boost ratings." This example would reflect that strategic communicators are not fulfilling their obligation to the public. By keeping the safety and well-being of their audience in mind during this trial the media could have largely helped to limit the amount of rioting and damage caused by race being the leading issue. 
Deceptive advertising can be found in the hands of media, professional strategic communicators and as of late social media icons. Materialism has increasingly grown and creates a desire among a younger audience to follow their favorite socialite and try their best to be like them. Some of the most popular social media stars include the powerhouse Kardashian family. Keeping up with this family often includes product placement posts in which they are paid thousands of dollars to say how much they love a product and how often they use it. This selling approach is used by many stars while in reality they have frequently never used the product before that post. According to Social Media Stars: How Much Do They Really Make? through the use of these social media posts "brands can reach engaged audiences that align with interest groups by entering into partnerships with trusted subject matter experts—also known as social media stars. It’s a new way of advertising that less obvious than a television commercial, but much more focused and, in a way, personal."

Overall, I do believe strategic communicators have not held up their end of protecting the public's best interests. It is important that as a strategic communicator we work within the bounds of our ethical views and standards.

Sources:

1.) http://www.discourses.org/OldArticles/Power%20and%20the%20news%20media.pdf

 2.) http://ivn.us/2013/07/15/mainstream-media-sources-often-abuse-power-of-influence/
3.) http://www.business.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-stars-how-much-do-they-really-make/