Situation definition:
Wendy Bell, who is an award-winning journalist, well respected with the WTAE-TV, and a worker for them for eighteen years was fired for comments that she made on her personal Facebook page. Bell is an African American journalist who was speaking up about violence between the same race. Bell said that she spoke up because it breaks her heart to see people killing each other and causing violence. Her post was not about her but about “African-Americans being killed by other African-Americans” (Gazette). One important issue here is whether it is okay for journalist to put their thoughts and opinions on social media or to keep it to themselves. Another ethical issue is where is the boundary between journalist being able to help/have a voice and having to do the right thing for their job.
Analysis:
Journalist are the way of communication for the community/world to know what is happening around them. It is a tough job and can receive a lot of criticism. Like Horace Greeley says, “Journalism will kill you, but it will keep you alive while you’re at it” (Quotes). In Bells case, she was just putting her opinion on social media to say that she does not want to see people fighting and killing each other. She was trying to send a message that it is not worth it and there are bigger things in life. Was she wrong for stating her opinion and making her voice heard? This is a big issue in journalism today on whether this is acceptable or not. At the moment, it is not acceptable and Companies are now firing journalist for doing so. However, I think that this is acceptable and that journalist should be able to have a right and a voice to express how they feel on social media under their own name. Now if she said this in an article involving the paper and their title, I do not think that it would be acceptable. She did do this on her own name on Facebook though and I think that it’s perfectly fine for someone to share their beliefs under their own name. Bell also edited the post and removed when asked about it from the TV station, but it wasn’t enough to save her from losing her job. Am I shocked at the WTAE for firing Wendy Bell? I am shocked that they would fire her for this and I am against it.
Another ethical issue is where the boundary between journalist being able to help/have a voice and having to do their job. This is also a big issue when thinking into the life of a journalist. Social media plays a great role in today’s everyday life. A quote from Vernon Loeb, a post local editor, helps explain this, “Social media are not really optional anymore,” says Loeb. “You can’t do your job without them. Social media are where news often breaks first. They’re a great way to cultivate sources, track events, find experts, and to drive audiences to our journalism. . . . You can’t be a good reporter unless you are involved in the social media realm “(Pexton). Like we saw in class about the case of a man who saw someone get pushed into the underground subway and decided to snap photos instead of going to help. The same things goes for journalist who don’t know whether it is okay for them to speak up on a topic or to not talk about it for the sake of their job. This ties in again with the first ethical issue I talked about. I personally believe that journalist should be able to share their beliefs outside of work.
Conclusion:
I belief it is wrong for a journalist to share their personal thoughts and beliefs on the job site because of the fact that if they say something and choose a side, there is a chance that the audience who is reading or watching this journalist might just job onto their side because of the person and not so much the issue. However, I do belief that journalist should have a voice and be able to share their beliefs outside of work on social media or anything that has just their name labeled to it. I think this is important because sometimes I feel like journalist just want to say what’s on their mind and get a message across without being fired for it or criticized for it.
References:
Journalism Quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2017, from https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/journalism.html
Pexton, P. B. (2011, July 01). At The Post, reporters get socialized to social media. Retrieved April 12, 2017, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/at-the-post-reporters-get-socialized-to-social-media/2011/07/01/AG3I0CuH_story.html?utm_term=.dab53ad156ce
Post-Gazette, M. S. (2016, March 30). Wendy Bell, fired over her controversial Facebook posts, says she didn’t get a ‘fair shake’ Retrieved April 12, 2017, from http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2016/03/30/WTAE-TV-s-Wendy-Bell-fired-over-racially-inflammatory-messages/stories/201603300196