Chynna Council
2/14/2018
Comm 409
Blog entry 2
Abiding by a code of ethics is the most crucial aspect of the journalistic process. The public depends on new organizations to draw conclusions on a multitude of issues often life-altering decision-making conclusions. About 18 months ago, during the 2016 election, the term “fake news” became popularized as the presence of unethical reports relating to candidates blew up in the media. The terminology fake news is popular now but deception in major news markets is nothing new. In the case of Steven Glass deception was an early career choice. The film Shattered Glass illustrates Glass’s unethical character. Glass was a young zealous reporter was very deceptive and fabricated stories. After the editors of the paper uncovered his crimes addressing the public taking accountability for the extreme failure was the main priority. There are many ethical messages in the film but accountability and deception are of most importance to address in my opinion.
The code of ethics exists as a guide for journalists but also provides assurance to the public of the credibility of the content in the news media. Glass took advantage of the public assumption that journalist abides by a code of ethics. His deception did not begin with fabricating stories. Allowing the public, colleagues, and editors to believe he respected the code of ethics was misleading information about his true character. The film showed how Glass continued to play the role of a journalist who was overworked and handling stress from all angles in his life. When in reality he was fabricating stories to create an image of extraordinary journalism. The reasoning behind Glasses actions can be analyzed by creating an understating for Journalistic deception. “Journalistic deception comprises two dimensions based on who is being deceived: news audiences and newsmakers or sources”. In this case, Glass was deceiving both (Lee, Seow Ting 2005). Studies show that journalists are also more likely to practice deception if the people being deceived are perceived as “bad”. This still fails to provide a reason for Glass too practice deception. The competitive environment that journalist live in today is the best explanation for why Glass posed as a phenomenal journalist. Simply put I believe he did it all for the recognition. Yet studies also show that “external influences like organizational pressures, organization size, codes of ethics, professional values, and routines of work) outweigh internal variables”(Lee, Seow Ting 2005). One report also claimed that seasoned reporters are also less likely to practice deceptive behaviors. Glass was a very young and had not worked for a large organization so this could have also impacted his moral compass. Surely the core journalistic ethics is truthful story telling and accountability. Journalist operating in the most transparent manner sustains credibility. After the news broke that Glass had fabricated entire stories it was crucial that officials of the New Republic take responsibility. The copy editor, Micheal Kelly, failed at his job of ensuring the veracity of each story published in the paper. According to research, the “concept of responsibility also carries a micro level sense: It is the product of accountability discourse, namely, an actor’s rhetorical management of blame for some wrongdoing”(Benoit, 1995; Scott & Lyman, 1968). Admitting to fault helps rebuild the relationship of the newspaper to the audience. Soon after the story broke all the fabricated articles were exposed and the paper released a statement apologizing to the general public. Soon after Glass admitted to all his false reports. As a result, the magazine is still selling copies today.
If I were in the position that Glass was a fresh young reporter I would have done a lot of things differently. Firstly I would not except a stressful job while being enrolled in courses for school. The job I would choose would be something that takes very little mental exertion since in am enrolled in classes at the same time. Since I know it is more likely for me to only behave extremely unethically under intense pressure, this would prevent a traumatic careers failure. The consequence here is that I would miss out on the career opportunity. I would take that over poor mental health.
If I were working in a major organization like the Times, for example, would simply explain that I can not make the deadline. For me, I couldn’t live with writing stories that are completely false. I would feel like a con-artist and have trouble sleeping at night. The consequence here would be I wouldn’t be recognized as an efficient journalist.
References:
Kampf, Zohar, and Efrat Daskal. “Communicating Imperfection: The Ethical Principles of News Corrections.” Communication Theory (1050-3293), vol. 24, no. 2, May 2014, pp. 165–185. Communication & Mass Media CompleteTM, EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/comt.12035. Accessed 14 Feb. 2018.
Lee, Seow Ting. “Predicting Tolerance of Journalistic Deception.” Journal of Mass Media Ethics, vol. 20, no. 1, Mar. 2005, pp. 22–42. Communication & Mass Media CompleteTM, EBSCOhost, doi:10.1207/s15327728jmme2001_3. Accessed 14 Feb. 2018.