Ethical Lessons
Two important ethical lessons I learned were “seek truth and report it” and “minimize harm,” both of which are from the Society of Professional Journalists’ (SPJ) Code of Ethics (Foreman, 2016, p. 92). Prior to taking this class, I thought I had an idea of what it meant to be a journalist and serve the public. Since January, however, I have learned a great deal more about what it takes to be an ethical journalist, which is really important to my future. I always knew a journalist needed to inform the public, but never realized how much harm could be inflicted upon the subjects of those stories. I believe these two ethical lessons are very important because they directly impact the stakeholders involved. In order to inform the public, a journalist must give as much information as possible. On the contary, however, it is important to understand how detrimental revealing what could be considered private to the audience because it could have negative impacts on those involved with the story. There needs to be a balance between the two, and by doing so a journalist can be considered very ethical. Throughout Foreman’s book, he provides details about not only the four codes from the SPJ, but also additional notes listed by bullet points on how a journalist can ensure he is achievieng the four overaching codes (Foreman, 2016, p. 94-95). Additionally, by following this more detailed breakdown of the four codes, I can better envision my future as a journalist and refer to this as a useful guide.
Case Study
Though there were many case studies I found interesting, one in particular was Brian Williams’ case. In 2013, my sister graduated from Elon University in North Carolina. Brian Williams delivered the commencement speech, but it was before the news broke that he had lied about his helicopter story. Often, I think about how drastically my view on Williams has changed over the last five years and I am amazed. When I sat in the audience as a 15-year-old, I was in awe of this established and reputable news anchor. However, those feelings quickly changed when I found out he lied. As a student in COMM 409, I cringe at the thought about lying in my news stories and especially about a topic as delicate as war. This case impressed me the most because I had a personal experience with it, and could see how impactful being unethical can be to one’s reputation. Williams’ case has shown me the danger of being unethical and how drastically my reputation can change because of my careless actions.
COMM 409 and My Future
My life does not know a world without technology, and I think this is really important in relation to journalism. As the industry continues to change and becomes more digitized, being an ethical journalist will be more important than ever. Anyone using the internet is capable of fact-checking, using a plagiarism checker, and other devices to point out a journalist’s mistakes. Furthermore, the opportunity spread information and news is available to almost everyone, and can lead to the spreading of false information in an instance. Throughout COMM 409, I have learned how important it is to tell the truth, write my own stories and not fabricate sources, contact multiple sources and be aware of their potential biases, among other many useful topics. The skills I have learned in this course will prevent me from being unethical because I have developed a greater understanding of how detrimental these actions can be to my reputation and future. Furthermore, by analyzing case studies I have been able to dissect and attempt to conclude why the unethical actions occurred, and how I can work to avoid making the same mistakes. This course has set up a strong foundation of knowledge that I can use in my future.
My Reflection on COMM 409
I am very thankful to have taken this course as a sophomore. I have learned more about ethics and journalism in the past 15 weeks than I imagined I would, and I am excited to utilize them in my future. Additionally, I am particularly thankful for Dr. Zhong’s willingness to help the class and guide us down an ethical path. Whenever I had a question or concern, Dr. Z was more than happy to help me and really served as a mentor.
References:
Foreman, G. (2016). The Ethical Journalist: Making Responsible Decisions in the Digital Age. Hoboken: Wiley.