Situation Definition
In class, we watched the movie Shattered Glass which is a true story based on previous journalist Stephen Glass. Glass built his career on stories that were not true or partially fabricated. The two ethical issues I see in the movie are not only did Glass lie to the public with his stories but he also lied to his co-workers and supervisors.
I see lying to the public as a huge ethical issue because as a journalist you are supposed to be a “watchdog” you’re supposed to report the truth and the facts. I think that lying to your peers and superiors is a major ethical issue because they are the ones who put the most faith in you like we saw in the movie Shattered Glass and once you lose that you’re no longer respectable to the people you work with.
Analysis
I believe Glass did the things he did because he wanted to be looked at as a great journalist covering groundbreaking stories. He wanted the respect of his peers and supervisor and the interest of the public. I don’t think it had anything to do with his school work or his stress load but because he wanted to earn some type of respect or praise from those around him. I believe that Glass found some joy in lying to the public and producing stories that his peers were amazed by.
I believe the ethical issues at stake is trust and respect. I say this because those around him are going to question him and so will the public. They will not only distrust him but they might distrust the whole magazine company, as well. This brings into question the ethical behaviors of the magazine. Even though they sent out a statement apologizing for Glass’s actions I believe that people will still question the truth of their articles.
The journalistic values and principals at play here are the ability to tell the whole truth. The journalist is expected to be able to tell the public the whole truth. They are supposed to be the watchdog for the public on corporations and government. They are supposed to report the facts and not be biased. The journalist is responsible for informing the public on major issues. Therefore, once again they are responsible for telling the whole truth. Glass only told half-truths and sometimes just lies. Glass forgot his journalistic principles and values that are supposed to be upheld.
From the academic journal “Shattered Glass, Movies, and the Free Press Myth” by Matthew C. Ehrlich. Glass is talked about being “the biggest hoax in modern American journalistic history”. Even through the Jayson Blair scandal at the New York Times one of Glass’s former co-workers called Blair an amateur compared to Glass. Many journalists formed different opinions based on the movie. Some journalist thought that it highlighted Glass’s action in a positive light and heightened the negative stereotypes already given to the press. Others called the movie one of the best journalism movies since the release of All the President’s Men. However, others liked the fact the movie portrayed self-regulation of the press is successful. Whereas, in the academic journal by Matt Carlson “GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: Memories of journalistic deviance as meta-journalistic discourse” another journalist believes that enforcing proper journalistic behavior by labeling those who betray those ethics as deviant. Even though the journalist who doesn’t uphold their ethical behavior will not be kicked out of journalism their reputation and legacy will always be remembered.
Conclusion
The solutions for holding journalist to their ethical standards is to continue to shame the ones who don’t. I believe many journalists value their integrity more than anything. If you destroy this integrity there is nothing left for them. When I think about this I think of professional athletes who chose to do steroids. The only way to stop athletes from doing steroids to shame and ban the ones that do because athletes also believe in high integrity. I believe the solutions is to reprimand those who go against journalistic ethics hard. The lesson I learned from this was one my mother taught me a long time ago “what’s done in the dark, comes to light” in other words do not lie.
References:
Carlson, Matt. “Gone, But Not Forgotten.” Journalism Studies. Vol. 15. N.p.: Routledge, 2014. 33-47. Communication & Mass Media CompleteTM. Web. 8 Feb. 2017.
Ehrlich, Matthew C. “Shattered Glass, Movies, and the Free Press Myth.” Journal of Communication Inquiry 29.2 (2005): 103-18. Communication & Mass Media CompleteTM. Web. 8 Feb. 2017.