Situation Definition
In the world of journalism when one reporter decides to stray from the truth or deceive readers it not only hurts that one specific publication, but the reputation of journalists everywhere. Ethical protocols such as transparency and credibility are not to be taken lightly, since gaining back readers loyalty is next to impossible once it has been damaged. The idea of being transparent, or honest, with readers is the foundation of the reporting world and is more vital now than ever, in a time where “fake news” has become such a widely discussed concept. Credibility is directly linked to trust, and when ones work is discovered as being fabricated or deceiving, it calls in to question all of a writers past works as well. Stephen Glass embodies the complete opposite of what journalism should be, and the film “Shattered Glass” certainly made that clear.
Glass was found to have fabricated 27 out of the 41 articles that he had written for The New Republic. He had created people, places, and events in his works, and developed websites and voicemail boxes in order to make his stories seem more credible. In the film, which is based on a true story, you see how Glass’ lack of integrity not only affected him but his colleagues, publication, and the reputation of journalism as a whole. When a reporter decides to ignore an ethic such as transparency, they have diminished their moral reputation.
Credibility goes hand in hand with transparency, since both revolve around the idea of being an honest and trustworthy reporter. Glass decided to put his pride and success over being credible when he used deception to circulate false information, which caused him to squander hard-earned trust that The New Republic had developed with their readers over the years. What once started as a small lie or fake quote, quickly began to snowball out of control, costing Glass his job and reputation.
Analysis
The film “Shattered Glass,” opened my eyes to how critical honesty and integrity are within the journalism world. I was astounded by how Glass was able to lie so easily and convincingly and kept wondering to myself whether he would still be writing at The New Republic today if he had not been caught by that other news publication. Journalism has changed drastically over the past decade from print to digital, and like any other development have pros and cons.
On the CMMC database journalist Brian McNair discussed how “many observers have accused internet journalism of eroding normative standards of accuracy and reliability, but in this case, as the film demonstrates, (“Shattered Glass”) it was an online publication which blew the whistle on an established US medium of record” (Trust Me, I’m a Journalist: Shattered Glass and the Crisis of Trust in Liberal Journalism).
With journalism now being more prevalent on a digital platform writers now have to be able to balance quality and quantity, since people want to continuously be taking in news that is entertaining and informative, while also getting access to it as soon as it is released. Stephen Glass may have been a writer in the time of print yet he seemed like he was obsessed with the idea of having stories that were of great quality, while also being able to develop new content as soon as he could. As soon as Glass realized that people loved his work, even though he knew it wasn’t honest, he couldn’t stop.
Yet, in an academic article by Jefferson Spurlock he discusses on page 31 that no matter how great a story may be, if it is fabricated it is not journalism. “Lying, deceiving, and fabricating are hardly journalistic methods… No matter how good the story, lying to get it raises many questions about journalists as their subjects” (Why Journalists Lie: THE TROUBLESOME TIMES FOR JANET COOKE, STEPHEN GLASS).
Conclusion
After watching the film “Shattered Glass,” and reading these academic articles I have developed a better understanding of why transparency and credibility, as well as other ethics in journalism are paramount. As reporters it is our job to tell our readers the truth, and make sure that our sources are credible and not in any way fabricated. Stephen Glass let temporary success go to his head, and decided to neglect anything ethics wise that stood in his way, no matter the cost.
If there were ever a time in my career that I felt I was putting myself in a situation like his I would take immediate action, and inform my superior of my wrongdoings. The world of journalism has undergone a lot of changes in recent years, yet I believe that our morals as writers should always remain the same.
References
(2009) M., & B. (n.d.). Trust Me, I’m a Journalist: Shattered Glass and the Crisis of Trust in Liberal Journalism. Retrieved from http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/2/9/8/2/7/p298274_index.html
SPURLOCK, J. (2016). WHY JOURNALISTS LIE: THE TROUBLESOME TIMES FOR JANET COOKE, STEPHEN GLASS, JAYSON BLAIR, AND BRIAN WILLIAMS. ETC: A Review Of General Semantics, 73(1), 71-76.