Journalistic ethics and persuasive communication in the face of post-truth: credibility in the face of the challenges of Social Networks

Abstract

The issue of post-truth and the disinformation that goes with it poses serious risks to the ethical principles of journalism. In this sense, the work of journalists is essential to ensure the establishment of democratic societies and free citizens through their commitment to the truth of the facts. The processes carried out by certain political actors such as Putin in the war in Ukraine in 2022, Trump in the US elections in 2020, the multiplication of destabilising messages related to COVID-19 coming from countries such as Turkey or China, promote the urgency of rethinking the deontology of journalism professionals in today's information society. This work brings together the most recent research on the work of journalists in the current information landscape -especially in social media- and allows us to delimit transcendental phenomena for the development of quality journalism, such as post-truth, false information and disinformation, all of this in relation to persuasive communication and the emotional aspects inherent on many occasions to these processes of distortion and falsification of reality. The conclusions point to the main challenges facing the journalism of the future as it seeks to counteract the effects of post-truth, while analysing a business management model for news organisations that must necessarily be reinvented. The opportunities for improvement lie in the development of critical thinking, a firm commitment to professional ethics and investment in media literacy among users.