My favorite Comm 409 class lecture by Dr. Z was about journalistic positions as either observers or participants. We must balance our actions with both professional duties and humane moral choices. Ethical situations rarely have a definite right or wrong answer. In order to maintain the authenticity of a reported occurrence, journalists are supposed to keep a distance from the people at the scene. Even under emergency circumstances, a reporter is only supposed to interfere with what is happening if he or she is the best or only person available for aid. Whether or not we decide to stop bearing witness to a situation and include ourselves instead is entirely dependent on our personal morals in relation to our perception of the circumstances. There are numerous factors involved in every ethical decision.
Another fascinating topic is regarding photojournalism, my current major. Before this course, I did not know the photographic editing rules involved in publishing images. I learned that we could use programs to enhance certain aspects of our photos, such as brightness or sharpness, but we are not allowed to remove any part of the existing image or add anything that was not already there. This made me realize one of the biggest differences between two majors in the College of Communications. Photos taken for advertisements are entirely different from journalist photography. For product marketing, a lot of focus is directed towards hiding blemishes and perfecting the flawed, as opposed to photojournalist imagery, which is solely based around showing readers the truth.
The case study that impacted me the most was definitely of Stephen Glass and his numerous fabrications. I also enjoyed the film, Shattered Glass, which flawlessly visualized the real incident. The study taught me how important honesty is in the journalism industry. The truth is always revealed within time; therefore, to lie is to waste your own time. Our main duty as journalists is to be entirely honest with the people we are serving. We act as the circuits of awareness for those who cannot experience specific events themselves. To cheat our readers or viewers would be equivalent to destroying our greatest purpose.
I will definitely carry what I have learned in Comm 409 with me into the future. Some ethical topics we discussed might have seemed like common sense, but they increased my awareness of the complex cases. They also allowed me to take a step back and really observe ethical situations from multiple angles. I especially enjoyed the passionate energy behind Dr. Z’s lectures. It is always easier for students to mentally involve themselves when their professor cares deeply about what they are teaching. That energy always transfers to us. Thank you for taking me a step forward on my journalism journey!