2. Press Ethics vs. Environmental Ethics
Despite the fact that the environmental news has more coverage in the mass media since the developments
regarding the environment are of more importance for public interest, it is hard to say that this always provides with
a perspective complying with the environmental ethics. It is actually safe to say that contradictions have coverage
more frequently. Environmental news considered as newsworthy - is represented solely in terms of their breaking
regardless of the fact that the development subject to the news is positive or negative. This brings 'whether the press ethics would contradict with the environmental ethics' into question. The answer to this question will be promptly given in the analysis of respective news texts.
A news-story published in the newspaper Milliyet with a headline ''The northern part of the lake will revive'' is a
fine instance for this contradictory situation. The news is about the Lake Sapanca, one of the important fresh water
resources having a rich ecosystem. The news focuses on the substantial financial gain that large-scale construction
investors would have in the northern part of the lake. A construction activity stands for the degradation of the natural
cycle by human touch even in the friendliest initiative. In this case, the environmental ethics seems to be
contradicting with the occupational ethics of journalism. It is, however, possible to identify from occupational
practices point of view that the main problem results from the non-execution of the occupational ethics. One of the
pillars for the occupational ethics of journalism is to provide with equal representation of elements subject to the news. This news, however, ignores the occupational practice. The representation in the news is an economic
approach overleaping the environmental ethics.