Situation Definition
In 1998, Stephen Glass was a young, successful, up and coming journalist at The New Republic, an American magazine which challenged popular opinion on politics and cultural thinking since 1914. He spent about two and a half years there where he was considered an original, creative writer who composed fantastic stories. Stories that almost seemed they couldn’t be real.
And it was because they weren’t.
Stephen Glass wrote dozens of magazine stories that contain fabricated material. One story in particular put him under the microscope and ultimately led to his demise. The Ethical Journalist stated, “On May 18, 1998, The New Republic published Glass’ ‘Hack Heaven,” a story about a 15-year-old hacker who had extorted a high- paying job with Jukt Micronics in exchange for not penetrating its databases” (Foreman, 137). It was so interesting it was looked into by Forbes Digital Tool and it reported no evidence that Jukt Micronics even existed. The New Republic later acknowledged that Glass fabricated 27 or the 41 articles he written and fired him on the spot.
Analysis
I am very happy and proud that The New Republic addressed the situation right away when they found out about it. The two main issues I had with Glass which brought to me intense ethical messages were his fabrication of the sources and his fake notes. To be completely honest, it’s harder to come up with made up information. By doing so, you’re lying to your audience while lying to try to cover up your previous lies. It created even more of a problem every time Glass lied all doing so while deceiving an audience that trusted him. Glass went as far to make up fake quotes by fake people while making up a fake website, phone line, and voice mail.
I believe Glass did all of this because of the rush it gave him. He felt something when he made up a part of the story, and the more he did it, the more addicted he got to it. By doing so, it brought him fame and recognition amongst the public and made him a recognizable figure. In an interview with CBS’s 60 minutes, Glass talked about the feeling he would get when he fabricated one of his articles. “I loved going to story conference meetings and telling people what my story was going to be and seeing them in front of me excited. I wanted every story to be a home run” (Shapiro, 2006). He really thrived off the popularity and the commotion his articles would get, that he became blind in doing the main duty journalists are suppose to do: Give the people the facts they need to hear. Credibility is huge. It really is something that can define you in this line of work. That’s what the
Credibility is huge. It really is something that can define you in this line of work. That’s what the Online Newsrooms as Communities of Practice: Exploring Digital Journalists’ Applied Ethics had to think. “Credibility is not only dependent on the accuracy and veracity of the content, but also on the perception users have about the professionalism of journalists and specific media outlets” (Aviles and Alberto, 2014). Being credible means being truthful. They both go hand in hand, and are key components that shouldn’t be tampered with. If I was ever placed in a situation like that, I really don’t know what I would do. I don’t think I’ll ever put myself in a position like that because my moral standards and credibility as a journalist are too important to me.
Conclusion
In conclusion, don’t make up fabricated work. I know it sounds cliche, but as you can see, some people just don’t learn their lesson. Stephen Glass found out the hard way as his journalistic career was wiped away after lying to his audience and the public. The only solutions to this problem is simply do your work. You will be getting stone cold facts, from reliable sources while building a repertoire and credibility that people will notice and enjoy. In the end, you’ll feel better about yourself and your work.
References
Aviles, G., & Alberto, J. (oct-dec 2014). Online Newsrooms as Communities of Practice: Exploring Digital Journalists’ Applied Ethics. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 29(4), 258-272. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
Foreman, Gene. “Stephen Glass, The New Republic (fabrication,1998).” The Ethical Journalist: Making Responsible Decisions in the Digital Age. Chicester, West Sussex: Wiley Blackwell, 2016. 137. Print.
Shapiro, I. (2006). Why They Lie: Probing the Explanations for Journalistic Cheating. Retrieved February 8, 2017, from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=0480dd65-48c2-4ed1-9451-b09f42eb9d86%40sessionmgr4010&vid=1&hid=4214