Two Important Ethical Lessons:
One important ethical lesson I learned in this course is how to avoid and deal with conflicts of interest. As a journalist, one is serving the public and it is their duty to report unbiased news. For that reason, they cannot publicly participate in or attend any events or situations that support a controversial topic. It is important for readers to be able to trust the reporter and the outlet the write for. Most news outlets have a code of ethics that employees are aware of, which prevents conflicts of interest for the most part.
Another important ethical lesson I have learned in this course is how to handle reporting on or photographing graphic or inhumane situations. This is not something I have thought much about before COMM 409. In class, we reviewed cases displaying murders, adults and minors in vulnerable situations, animal cruelty and drowning among many others. It is important to learn about various case studies involving these types of situations because the line between ethical and unethical is often blurry and different for everyone.
Most Impressive Case Study:
The case study that was most shocking to me was “Car in the Canal.” The story was about a woman who swerved off a highway and began to sink to death while on the phone with the police. The controversy was to air the 911-tape on the news that night. The news outlet shared the tape with the woman’s family and got their approval before they made the decision to air it. Although in most states 911 recordings are public records (1), it is the ethical thing to do to share it with the family privately first and receive permission. This case study showed how to deal with a vulnerable subject in a compassionate and professional manner.
Course Impact on Future Career and Life:
I believe this class will be incredibly beneficial in my future, such as in my internship this summer and in my job after graduation. The case studies we reviewed and read about taught me a lot about the field of journalism and the importance of your reputation as a journalist. This class has taught me to be more professional and has made me want to excel in my academics and future career.
Reflection on this Course as a Whole:
This class has brought to my attention unethical behaviors that I may thought were ethical and repeated the same mistake further down the line in my career. Not only do journalists benefit from taking an ethics course, but basically every major does as well. There are always case studies of unethical behavior to be studied in order to not repeat major mistakes.
References:
- Internet Brands, Inc. (2015, April 09). Should 911 Calls Be Made Public? Retrieved April 27, 2017, from http://criminal.lawyers.com/criminal-law-basi