Laura Szymanski
Part 1.
After watching “Shattered Glass,” I observed Steven Glass lead his career in journalism by fabricating stories. As an aspiring journalist I know that there is never a reason to fabricate a story. Especially because as a journalist your credibility is what defines you. In this film the two main issues was his fabricating of stories and his loss of credibility as a journalist.
These two issues create the foundation of being a good a journalist. When you fabricate your stories the journalist will lose all credibility and their audience. No one wants to listen and believe someone that has lied to them so many times before. Getting the truth and keeping your audience is the point of being a journalist. Without these two aspects it will be impossible to maintain a career in journalism.
Part 2.
Steven Glass manipulated an important system of journalism. He knew that his notes would be the only source of information. Steven Glass thought he could get ahead in his career, he wanted his name out there and figured lying about his stories would be the way to go about it. He fabricated 27 of his stories and every source that went with them. He didn’t start out like this, scheming to the top, he wanted to be a good journalist and dig out the truth.
According to Ethics Gaps and Gains most students in journalism showed significantly increased concern for ethical violations (Conway, Groshek, 2013). As students and fresh journalists lying is obviously wrong. But somehow, as discussed in class working deadlines and wanting to have better stories pushes journalists to fabricate for any number of reasons, we don’t start out with bad ethics. It’s somehow created with time and the pressure becomes too much. These journalism students felt plagiarism and ethical faults deserved harsh penalties and were completely against lying to get ahead (Conway, Groshek, 2013).
After Glass had been fired for fabricating his stories, he was standing in the classroom as young kids were cheering for him as a hero. However, in reality all credibility had been lost. It proved that it was really never worth the lying and scheming for a better career. He had nowhere to go as a journalist because a journalist’s credibility is vital, without it you can’t really be a journalist let alone a good one.
When it comes to a journalists values, truthfulness and accuracy play a key role in this situation in which Glass completely ignored his ethics. To reference The Lying Game, Journalists in general will believe lying weakens credibility. Which discusses how using lying and deception to get a story is an ethical dilemma in journalism. And how even using undercover journalism has been controversy for whether or not it can win a Pulitzer Prize (Paterno, 1997). Steven Glass used his ability to lie and deceive his boss and colleagues. Which when caught it is impossible to retain a credible background.
Part 3.
After watching “Shattered Glass,” I saw a firsthand view of journalism and all of the flaws that can make it seem deceitful. I learned that ethics and values are what makes a journalist grounded and real. Afterwards when we begin to discover the truth and conduct interviews is when we decide what kind of journalist to be. But it should never be a liar or deceitful to its audience.
Steven Glass had an opportunity to make himself a good journalist based on his own writing. If he had stuck to his ethics and remained grounded he could still be a journalist today. Steven Glass made me realize how important it is to keep finding the truth. Journalists are not reporting to be famous were reporting to tell others the real story.
Part 4.
- Conway, M., & Groshek, J. (2008). Ethics Gaps and Ethics Gains: Differences and Similarities in Mass Communication Students’ Perceptions of Plagiarism and Fabrication, 63(2), 19-19. Retrieved from Communication and Mass Media Complete.
- Paterno, S. (1997). The Lying Game, 19(4). Retrieved from Communication and Mass Media Complete.