Internet journalism and ethics

The need to communicate and to learn about the developments in its environment started with oral communication in the early ages. It gained a different dimension with the discovery of writing and paper, and after the handwritten news letters in the 13th century, it continued with printed news letters, newspapers and magazines with the discovery of a movable printing press in the 15th century. Printing and paper have been the main elements of the journalism profession for centuries. The internet which begun a part of our lives has created important changes in the profession of journalism and turned it to be available in digital fields thus the beginning of the internet journalism. Although it has useful features such as fast updating and interaction, these positive features also bring some ethical problems. Ethical problems that exist in conventional press have seen more frequently in the internet journalism. Failure to comply with the principles and rules of journalism professional ethics harms both journalism and society. Ethical rules ensure that journalism is carried out correctly and respectably. For this reason, it is very important to comply with ethical principles and rules. In this study, the ethical problems of internet journalism are examined. In the first part of the study consisting of the three parts, conceptual definations and developments of journalism in the World and Turkey have been mentioned. The second section describes key elements in the World and in Turkey at the beginning and development of the internet, web features, its impact on the field of journalism and advantages and in the third part, the importance of ethics and ethical terms in the journalism, the approach of professional organizations to the subject, ethical problems in internet journalism were studied and unethical elements were examined in news samples. In the study, information about press history, journalism, ethics, communication technologies, and journals, articles and research institutions were used as data collection method. Additionally interviews were held with a specialist academician and experienced journalists in the related fields. Key Words: Journalism, Press History, Internet, Internet Journalism, Ethics.