Part I
I believe I’ve learned a lot about Journalistic ethics in Comm 409. Prior to the semester’s start, I was familiar with some basic ethics from my involvement in campus journalism at Penn State. But I think this course has equipped me with the proper journalistic integrity to go out and become a journalist who serves the community objectively and fairly rather than personal or third party interests.
One of the ethical lessons I learned more about from this course is fabrication, specifically from former New Republic journalist Stephen Glass. After watching Shattered Glass and the other interviews, I saw he was so stressed from dealing with newsroom deadlines and law school classes that he started to cut corners and made up his sources and stories. Eventually he couldn’t stop lying about his stories and continued to do so in order to meet deadlines and build up his credibility. Prior to watching the movie and interviews about Stephen Glass, my understanding of fabrication in journalism was basic and had a simple approach to it- “don’t do it.” But after learning about Glass, I started to think, and realized there were so many times where I lied about something once and couldn’t get myself to stop. It made me realize that every journalist has the potential to become another Stephen Glass, and the reason why there aren’t so many is because most journalists stay true to journalistic ethics. It was at this moment where I made a declaration to myself: that I would abide by journalistic ethics to the maximum level, no matter what the situation is. Even though my understanding of fabrication was decent prior to learning about Stephen Glass and his actions at the New Republic, I learned how easy it is to get into a habit of fabricating and deceiving your audience as a journalist.
Another ethical lesson I learned from the class was about ethical decision making in journalism. Before taking News Media Ethics, I thought reporters used a simple method to determine if they would publish certain information; if the information was relevant, then it is worth publishing. But after learning about decision making, especially when it came to disclosing private information and graphic imagery, I realized the concept of decision making in journalism is not as easy as one would think. Journalists have to consider the possible after-effects of reporting certain information. For example, if there was a shooting at a gay bar, do you disclose the names of the victims, or do you withhold the names to maintain the public image of the victims? After learning about decision making in journalism, I pledged to think thoroughly about the information I was reporting on, and what the potential side effects are of reporting on said information.
Part II
Out of the many case studies we covered in class, the one that interested me the most was the case study on covering Charlottesville. The Charlottesville riots were a very emotionally charged event for both demonstrators and journalists alike. In order to cover the event fairly and objectively, journalists had to delve out of their comfort zones to cover and interview white supremacists. If I were a journalist at the Charlottesville riots, I don’t know how I would react to seeing and hearing what the white supremacist demonstrators were doing. On the one hand, I am a person of color and an immigrant in the United States. On the other hand, I am a journalist who must report objectively and fairly in order to transparently inform the public on what is going on. But the conflict within myself was solved after we learned journalists are allowed to, and should, challenge beliefs that go against basic human nature and rights. The case study provoked much thought and made me think hard about what I would do as a POC journalist.
Part III
As the semester draws to its eventual end, I feel like I have learned a lot from News Media Ethics. Like I mentioned before, I was familiar with some of the basic ethics in journalism prior to taking the course. But now that we’re at the end of the semester, I believe the information I learned during the semester in Comm 409 will help me to be a more ethical person and journalist. I was never tempted to fabricate stories or make up sources like Stephen Glass, but I was indifferent to specific ethics such as conflict of interest and ethical decision making because I assumed it would require a quick thinking session on if the action is ethical or not. But the course taught me to consider all angles of the situation, no matter how clear cut it may seem, and to thoroughly reflect and meditate on journalistic decisions. Thinking through a situation in the journalism industry could be the difference between a solid article and unemployment. I also learned how easy it is to become unethical in the journalism field, as exemplified by Stephen Glass- he was a promising journalist who lied once and turned compulsive. As I mentioned earlier in this post, watching the movie and interviews on Glass made me reflect on my life. I started to remember times where I lied about something once and eventually couldn’t stop lying about it. It made me realize how easy it is to start living a double life, whether it be in regular life or in journalism. I hope learning about Glass can help me to stay true to my ethics and prevent me from allowing myself to lie about something important once, as that could turn into a tricky situation.
Part IV
Comm 409 has been a thought provoking course and I enjoyed showing up to class. It’s filled me with so many ethical situations and questions to consider and the case studies and lectures we covered in class helped to show real world examples of difficult and controversial situations. It is my personal hope that I will be able to use the information learned in this course to become a better, more ethical journalist who aspires to serve the community fairly and openly.