1) The first ethical lesson that had a significant impact on me was the in-class, “Conflict of Interest” lecture. Specifically, the topic of bribery grabbed my attention. It is an aspect of journalism that can be easily overlooked. A reporter can easily mistake bribery for kindness and without intending to can report a biased news release. Additionally, I think it is important to always be aware of how you are portraying yourself in the public out of normal working hours. Knowing when an event is in affiliation or in support of certain political policies is crucial. As a news reporter, especially one that is seen regularly on television, you have to assume eyes are on you at all times. Being seen actively participating in one-side political marches for example, would be catastrophic to your career and lose you any credibility to report on affiliated politics or events. I’ve learned that being a reporter is a lifestyle choice in which you have to make certain sacrifices such as not publicly expressing your political affiliation.
Secondly, because I’ve recently gained an interest for photography I also had an interest in the “Invasion of Privacy” lecture. In photography it is easy to lead with your camera, and follow wherever it takes you to get a good shot. Sometimes that may mean that you accidentally walk onto private property. It is good to know the importance of boundaries and to have an understanding of what is acceptable to share with the public. It is easy to look at a photography quickly and roll with it, but after this lecture I’ve learned the importance of viewing the photograph from an outsider’s point of view. If you do not know the context of a photo it is easy to portray someone in a false light, or even real a private fact about them.
2) The case study that impressed me the most was on Michelle Phan’s YouTube copyright case. I was first intrigued by it because I, myself also post makeup and beauty related videos on. I have always found it difficult to understand what I was and wasn’t allowed to use music-wise to compliment my video. I found it interesting to see a record company suing her when in fact her use of the music actually promoted and boosted sales. Copyright infringement is a very expensive violation and it has led me to learn more in my Mass Communications Law class as well.
3) This is one of the most important course that I believe I will take to support my career. Any communications major would agree that without learning the ethical expectations you can ultimately ruin your career. Some may say that it is easy to be ethical and overlook the value of this class but some ethical dilemmas are not as obvious. I hope to work as a PR agent for a cosmetic company someday which will require me to find influencers and such to pay-to-promote. From this class I have learned the value of disclosure and how it works in your benefit. You lose credibility by trying to hide a paid promotion, people will see right through it and devalue you. Bottom line always be as transparent as possible, and always disclose.
4) As a whole I am very happy I took this course. If it wasn’t a requirement I most likely would’ve thought that it didn’t pertain to my career path, and ultimately would have passed up a lot of fundamental information. I liked that we were required to explore more than one case and also share with the class our own case study of choice. The group projects gave us an opportunity to “teach the class” on our topic which is a unique element of this class. Lastly, I felt like the blog system was a unique style of posting assignments and gave us an opportunity to experience publishing something online if we never have before!