The two important ethical lessons I have learned from different lectures and/or case studies would have to be that above anything else, you are a journalist 24/7. The second ethical lesson I learned is that you need to think about how what you publish could affect the public or those closest to the story. I chose these two because I know in my field as a news producer I will be questioned of why I am running a story, why I chose a certain image or video and asked my opinion on things. I never really ever thought about as a junior in college my words could be quoted and used against me. Since I’m still in college, it doesn’t cross my mind that I am a journalist 24/7 yet. I just consider that to be when I’m reporting or in class, but when I’m outside of class people aren’t watching me. But people are. As a journalist you need to be careful to not state your opinions a lot, to watch what you say, where you go, and not getting controversy. All of these things could tarnish your reputation and your credibility. Not to mention losing credibility of the news organization.
I think that one of the greatest lessons in ethics is the second topic of the SPJ’s Code of Ethics: Minimize Harm. Our jobs as journalists is to balance the public’s need for information as well as showing compassion and being sensitive to those that could be affected by it(SPJ). I think that this is important because nowadays in the media all we see is negative news and so many deaths. So many sensitive stories that we need to make sure as the media we cover it without being insensitive. I just think about here at Penn State with Timothy Piazza’s family. Of course that is very sensitive and tragic. So we need to make sure that the family is on board and we don’t put them through more pain than they have. It is also our job to get the story out if is very important and crucial. So not just publishing a story for the emotional effect, but because it serves a purpose for the greater good.
The case study that impressed me most was from the Panel 7 group analyzing the Gary Hart case study on undercover reporting. I think that this case study impressed me the most because it brought up so many elements of whether to intervene on a public figure’s private life, whether following Donna Rice was ethically correct, was it invasion of privacy and was this unheard of at this age of journalism? If I were in this situation, as I discussed in class, I would see that yes, as a public figure he doesn’t have as much right to control his private information. But the reporters invaded his privacy when they were on his property and recording/getting info inside the house. As Dr. Z said in class, if it’s outside in the public, that’s fair game to be published.
Speculating what impact this course will have on me in the future, I can see that it will help me make more sound and ethical decisions when it comes to deciding what stories to run in my broadcasts. As well as deciding whether I will use an image of a minor in a murder or sexual crime story. How to handle when other people under my leadership are doing stories or if they are part of something that could be a conflict of interest. It is kind of intimidating as a journalist when there are so many things we cannot do even though under the 1st Amendment we should have the freedom of speech. But as journalists our main goal is to publish fair, balanced and factually correct stories. So I think this course is setting me up for a future where I can make easier, ethical decisions.
Overall, I feel like this course was a good preparation for me in my future career as a news producer and it really got me to critically think about certain situations. I came in a little bit nervous to be honest because I always self-doubt myself and my knowledge in this area. But now, I see myself more confident in handling this situations and willing to challenge something if I think it’s wrong. There were some times throughout the course I did have some anxiety because of miscommunication or disorganization. But things were always figured out in the end. I liked having all the case study examples to discuss what we would do if we had to make the final decision. If this was just lecture, I would not be as confident ending the class.