Part 1: Situation Definition
Ethics are based on an individual’s moral compass. For Stephen Glass, the idea of becoming a well-known journalist was more important than being honest in his work. Shattered Glass tells his story and shows viewers how detrimental dishonesty can be to one’s career. Especially a career in journalism, where one’s responsibility is to inform society.
After finishing the film, I realized how great of an impact lying can have on one’s life and their peer’s lives. Glass’s actions in his career brought me two main intense ethical messages. First: is it worth it to lie in order to excel in your career? This theme was displayed once viewers caught on to what Glass was doing at The New Republic. Second: why would an individual lie about their sources? The profoundness of Glass’s lies truly came to light when he took his boss, Chuck, to the building. He claimed a rally was held in this building when it was absolutely clear there was no possible way for that to happen. Chuck then knew for sure Glass had fabricated the majority of his work.
Part 2: Analysis
Glass knew he was a great writer however failed to provide factual information to the public. I believe that Glass fabricated his work in order to gain media attention and a sense of power in his work atmosphere. Like I stated previously, he was a talented writer, but did not meet the ethical standards of a journalist. After reading a scholarly article describing why journalists lie, Ivor Shapiro from Ryerson University interprets Glass’s actions by saying “He longs to be admired and loved; he cheats to avoid rejection” (Shapiro, 262). This mindset is displayed throughout the film. His editors badgered him for more information on his fishy article titled “Hack Heaven”. Glass went so far to cover his tracks that he created a fake website as well as a fake phone number, faxes and voicemails. Once this was revealed he faced intense repercussions.
Stephen Glass proves to every aspiring journalist that it is in fact not worth it to lie in order to excel in your career. Glass faced a make or break decision. He knew what his audience wanted and could fabricate exactly that. So why not go for it? There are certain principles that journalists must abide by. “A journalist’s first obligation is to tell the truth. Journalism’s first loyalty is to citizens” (Foreman, 24-5). Unfortunately for Glass, disobeying these ethical principles cost him his career.
Journalism’s purpose and guiding principles inform us how detrimental dishonesty can be for one’s career. They also include a principle which states: “Journalism’s essence is a discipline of verification” (Foreman, 25). Reporters and editors rely on fact checking in order to provide correct information to the public. When a journalist fabricates his sources serious issues arise. Jefferson Spurlock evaluates Glass’ case stating “Sometimes reporters decide to push the envelope a bit and let the world know of events that did not happen without informing the public of their fabrications” (Spurlock, 71). Glass kept his fabrications from the public as well as his editors.
In Shattered Glass, Stephen Glass takes his editor Chuck Lane to a building where he claims a rally relevant to “Hack Heaven” was held. There skeptical Chuck questions Glass and he impressively creates fairly believable lies on the spot. After some time, Chuck finally asks the man at the front desk if a rally was held in that building, Sunday. The man replies that the building is closed on Sunday. This scene was a pivotal moment in the film. Even though Glass had thought his lies were safely kept, he was wrong. At that point Lane knew that Glass had been lying for a very long time.
When facing similar challenges like writers block and/or extreme creativity, students and journalists alike should refrain from fabrication. Stephen Glass is an example of exact characteristics to avoid as a journalist. He jeopardized his career along with his coworkers solely for fifteen minuets of fame.
Part 3: Conclusion
Possible solutions to Glass’ problems would simply be to tell the truth. The whole truth. It is fairly easy to be a genuine, truthful person. In the end, journalists who are honest will have more respect in their career. Readers will always return to companies they can trust like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.
As a journalism major, I have learned that it is never worth it to fabricate work. I’m thankful that I watched this film and was able to take something away from it. Plagiarism is not worth it. It can cost one their career and their dignity.
Part 4: References
Foreman, Gene. The Ethical Journalist: Making Responsible Decisions in the Digital Age. Second Edition ed. Hoboken: Wiley, 2016. Print.
Shapiro, Ivor. “Why They Lie: Probing the Explanations for Journalistic Cheating.” Canadian Journal of Communication, vol. 31, no. 1, Jan. 2006, pp. 261-266. EBSCOhost, ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=20591083&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
SPURLOCK, JEFFERSON. “Why Journalists Lie: The Troublesome Times for Janet Cooke, Stephen Glass, Jayson Blair, and Brian Williams.” ETC: A Review of General Semantics, vol. 73, no. 1, Jan. 2016, pp. 71-76. EBSCOhost, ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=125698524&site=ehost-live&scope=site.