One of the most important ethical lessons that I learned in COMM 409 was how important objectivity is. Whether a journalist realizes it or not, their objectivity while reporting can still be jeopardized by their own ideology and8 personal history. An example of this is the Julie DiCarlo vs. Patrick Kane case. DiCarlo wrote an article for CBS Chicago about the rape allegations against NHL Chicago Blackhawks #88 Patrick Kane. Setting aside what DiCarlo included in her article, she was automatically unable to report objectively due to her personal history as a rape victim. She received a lot of backlash for her reporting after the article was published by people who disapproved of her biased reporting.
Another key lesson that we learned in this class was how to formulate our own decision-making processes. After learning about the various ethical principles in this class, I resonated the most with Mill’s Principle of Utility. This principle is based on the ideas that the good end is happiness and that happiness of is the source of all ethical decision making. It also emphasizes ends-based thinking, which means choosing the course of action that brings the most good and happiness to the most amount of people. I think that it’s very important to be aware of how our actions affect the public and it is our duty as journalists to make decisions based on the best interests of the public.
Another case study from the textbook that really interested me was the Rolling Stone Magazine and UVA Rape Case. This case was unique because the unethical decisions made in this scenario involve more than just the actions of the journalist. In this case, the source was the one who fabricated the story. Where the reporter went wrong ethically, was not pushing for more information and checking her sources more thoroughly. If she had done more investigative reporting, she would have most likely seen the inconsistencies in the alleged victim/source’s story. This case study was a great example of how not every act of unethical journalism or fabrication is intentional.
I don’t think my opinion on what is or isn’t acceptable ethics-wise in the journalism field has changed at all, however the way that I think about ethics has changed since taking this ethics course. I have a better understanding of how often I will be confronted with ethical decisions and how important it is to have a decision-making plan when I am confronted with one. In general, I think I am more prepared for a career in journalism.
One of the most beneficial aspects of this course was discussing decision-making models. I think it’s important as a journalist to have a pretty good idea of what our decision-making process should be when we are faced with difficult decisions to choose the best ethical decision. As stated before, throughout this course I discovered that I use Mill’s Principle of Utility when making decisions because I have ends-based thinking. I believe that minimizing harm to the majority is the most important thing when making ethical decisions in journalism.