Jessica Shields: Blog 5- Reflections on this Course
Comm 409 has taught many different lectures and a wide range of ethical issues and how to deal with them. The biggest ethical lesson throughout this course had to be on reporting graphic material. In many situations it is about moral judgment, what is right and what is wrong in a crime scene. It’s about how much the viewers need to know, how much they need to see, and how much effort the journalists make in telling the truth of the story. When it comes covering issues such as suicide, most stations will not show the footage of the victim, but when it is death or homicide some tapes will be replayed to show the reality of a situation, the truth. Viewers deserve the right to know what really happened, but to an extent on air.
Deception and truth telling were one of the key topics in introducing ethical lessons. Journalists in the past have gone to jail and removed from their jobs when caught in the act of lying about a story they reported on, or even made up just to get ahead of the game. Undercover reporting and plagiarism are the most popular forms of deception that have ruined many careers. The story on Stephan Glass showed future reporters and journalists how easy it really is to lie and fabricate stories, but also the consequences and life ruining events that occur if caught. Newspapers are all about truth and sources to look back on before publishing articles. It’s imperative that new writers always get a second opinion before going print.
Based on the Comm 409 course, I feel as if it taught me how to prepare myself for reality after college and the things to look out for when facing plagiarism, undercover reporting, news sources, and web reporting, and so on. It is easy to write fiction, but harder to find legitimate sources and good stories to get ahead in the Print world. I am ready to learn as a writer and the information given throughout the course taught me moral decisions are key to any story.
Mr. Zhong was a knowledgeable professor with a lot of experience with ethical values. The course was interesting and beneficial to knowing right or wrong before entering the world as an upcoming writer. The PowerPoint lectures offered a lot to retain, but at times they were not the more interesting. More interactions with the class as a whole would benefit the course, along with classmates having the chance to see each other as writers and different techniques each personality offers.