A Look Back at Comm 409
An interesting ethical lesson I learned this semester is about how deception in journalism can actually be acceptable under certain circumstances. There are many stories that simply can’t be discovered through conventional means, and in these cases, deception may be allowable if the public good brought about by reporting the story outweighs the harm done through the act of deception. Hidden cameras are one of the more controversial methods of undercover reporting, but they are a very effective way to get an insider look at an organization or situation that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. For example, although placing a hidden camera inside the police break room at the Colorado airport may have brought about some privacy issues, in my opinion, the benefit to the public outweighed the harm because the news outlet exposed the fact that taxpayer dollars were being used pay policemen to sit around for hours and watch football instead of protecting the public.
Another ethical lesson we discussed in this course is the importance of journalists not accepting free gifts. Personally, I am always extremely grateful when somebody goes out of his way to get or offer me something, so I like to make a very concerted effort to express my appreciation. Therefore, I know that I would feel bad if I was put in a position where somebody offers me something and I have to turn it down, but this class made me realize the importance of doing so. Journalists gain their credibility from being neutral, objective reporters, and if they are seen in public having lunch or going to a baseball game with a subject of their story, some of their readers will begin to wonder if the writer is perhaps biased and showing favoritism towards the person he is reporting on.
Aside from the ethical lessons I learned that I mentioned above, the one lecture that really sticks with me the most was the one on the psychology of consumers. One specific example that I remember is when we talked about how people would be willing to drive an extra 15 minutes to save $7 on, say, a $20 pencil sharpener, but they wouldn’t travel the extra distance to save $7 on a $450 suit. Psychologically, it seems like you’re paying so much for the suit that tacking on another $7 doesn’t really matter much, but the pencil sharpener seems like a rip-off when it costs $7 more. However, no matter which item you’re buying and how much it costs, the choice that needs to be made is exactly the same—do I want to spend 15 minutes of my time to save $7? I’ll admit that I am someone who falls for this same trap, so in the future, I will remember this lecture and put in just as much effort to save $7 on, say, a TV as I would to save $7 on a video game.
Also, no matter where my career path takes me, the impact that this class will leave on me is to simply be more cautious while making ethical judgments. An action that may not seem like a big deal to me, such as going to a Phillies game with one of my sources, may actually be problematic. Therefore, if I even question my decision for a split-second, I will make an effort to explain my situation to my colleagues and/or boss in order to get their input as to whether I am making the right choice. Then, if there remains doubt in my mind, I will likely err on the side of caution to avoid any ethical dilemmas.
Overall, my Comm 409 experience was a very positive one. My favorite aspect of the course is that rather than just learning about ethical concepts and decision-making, we would also watch a video clip to see a real-life example of a time when a news organization encountered that type of situation. By getting to see how the media outlet dealt with the problem and then by evaluating the outlet’s decision in a class discussion, we were able do some critical thinking about the best and worst ways to deal with certain ethical dilemmas in journalism.
Another part of the course that I liked was being able to watch the “Shattered Glass” movie. Not only was it a very well-made production, but I also think it is valuable to show aspiring journalists a real-life example of how making poor ethical choices can cause your career, and even your life in general, to fall into a downward spiral.
The only change that I may consider making to the class is to eliminate the “This I Believe” blog and replace it with something else, just because I don’t think it necessarily applied to the course’s theme of making ethical decisions as a journalist. Perhaps the class period we spent going over the instructions for the assignment and the time spent doing the blog itself could have been spent in more beneficial ways. Then again, I kind of enjoyed being able to write about something of my choice that I’m passionate about, so I did still get something out of writing it.