Jane Mientkiewicz
Blog 5: Reflections on Comm 409
1. One ethical lesson I learned from the case of undercover reporting in the revelation of malpractice at Food Lion stores was that while it is important to deliver truth to the audience, and a journalist’s first loyalty is to his audience, finding truth does not excuse deceitful actions. Those journalists lied to Food Lion in order to obtain jobs and film in the back of the restaurant, actively trying to find certain evidence. Once they had enough evidence to bring up something of a case, they ran an expose. This was decidedly not the best method to take to find out the truth in this matter. While changes were brought about and the audience’s best interest and health was considered, the journalists must still act ethically in achieving that end result.
Another ethical lesson I learned from class was the importance of attribution and the avoidance of plagiarism. Plagiarism is the use of the work of others without giving due credit. Especially in the age of the internet where copy-and-paste is very easy, it is so important to always cite sources and to use the material of others properly and fairly. The amount of plagiarism admitted by college students is startling, but it is also easy to commit. However, while it can be an honest mistake, most cases of plagiarism are students or journalists trying to cut corners and find an easy solution. Journalists and students must adhere to the standards set for all and always do the work required to produce a satisfactory and original work.
2. The case study that I was most impressed by was the case study from our textbook that my group covered for our project: the case of Nancy Phillips and the murder suspect Len Jenoff. This case impressed me because it showed very successful ethical decision making and the positive results that can be achieved by following ethical standards in reporting. Phillips showed real dedication in sticking with the story and continuing to talk with Jenoff over the course of five years, even after he was known to have lied to her. She was able to retain a level of professionalism while still building that important trust with Jenoff that allowed her to finally become the confidant of his guilt in the murder. She then also made the right ethical decision in telling her editors and, with them, keeping the information confidential until Jenoff finally agreed to tell an official of his crime. While this process and information were grueling and heavy, Phillips never broke the trust of her subject nor of the public by ever violating any journalistic standards. She always remained as transparent as possible with her audience and so was able to write a first-person account in which she detailed her involvement with the story and her being taken off of it as she was now a part of it. She was able to keep the important balance of what is best for the audience and what it easy, and her dedication paid off.
3. This course will have an impact on my decisions made in my work in the future. Already I consider ethics while working on things for school and in deciding the standards I work by. I plan to work in publishing or for a magazine, but ethics are always necessary in any type of printed material produced because everything will be interpreted and accepted by an audience in a different way. It is very important to remember that a journalist’s first loyalty is to the public, his readers, and so journalists must always perform at the high standards expected. I will use ethics to make decisions in my work regarding what to publish, how much to publish, and how to publish it.
4. I think that Comm 409 is a very important class for all students involved in writing and publishing to take. It is important to remember that there are identifiable standards that journalists must adhere to because journalists deliver the news to the public. The news is not always easy to publish, so journalists must make the difficult decisions necessary to provide the best result for the audience that gives the clearest understanding while still respecting the sensibilities of the audience. This class has taught me things that I have already begun implementing in my own decision making. I now have a clear list of standards to abide myself by while creating something, and that I will use in the future.