I feel like I have learned a great deal from C409. Prior to this class, I knew a bit about ethics issues in journalism, but had never really done a great deal of research into media ethics. In C409, I got to learn more about how to spot ethical issues and how to avoid them.
The Stephen Glass case truly stood out to me because of the extent of the ethical issues. I cannot wrap my head around the fact that Glass was able to get away with everything for so long. There were so many red flags and holes in his story that it was astounding that more people didn’t catch on more quickly. The Glass case truly shows young journalists to trust their intuition when they think that something seems wrong.
Another important lesson I learned was about using discretion in what to air or use in a story. Sometimes sensitive material will present itself to you and you will have to decide whether or not to use it. The material may tell the story, but it may offend your audience. The breakfast test is a good test to apply to determine whether the material is appropriate for use; if you would not want to see or hear it during breakfast, then it may not be appropriate for your audience.
In a future career, ethics will be incredibly important to me. I plan on being in the field of sports journalism, and that has its own slew of ethical issues, particularly in the form of freebies and in being a “homer.” Being too biased toward one team can cloud a journalist’s judgment and make them seem like they are not trustworthy. Accepting freebies could do the same thing; if the public finds out that a journalist has been accepting freebies, they may feel that the journalist is too biased to report honestly and objectively about a certain organization.
Learning about ethics is incredibly important to young journalists. You could be plagiarizing without even realizing it, so it is important to know what is considered wrong. It is also important to be familiar with not only the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics, but also the code of ethics that your organization has set. Knowing what your organization deems ethical is important not only for yourself, but also helps you recognize when a colleague is being unethical.