Reflecting on the semester has allowed me to realize and appreciate the immense ethical standards of the communications field and of day to day life that I am now aware of. As I move forward with my career in the field, there are two major ethical lessons I will carry with me. These ethical standards were discussed in lecture, and have stuck with me over the past weeks. First, is to be aware of how quickly my decisions are made when reporting to the public. This lesson is also valuable while encountering day to day life experiences. We talked about how common it is to see people making decisions based on the information at hand. It is important to be aware that contradicting information is out there, and may often times stand more valid. I am now aware that important decisions take time and consideration. Second, is the theory of Rule-Based Thinking. The theory suggests an absolute duty to do the right thing no matter the consequences. Although this theory seems too good to be true, I try to live by this as much as humanly possible. These ethical standards not only apply to future careers in the communications field, but to everyday life. This is what I found to be my favorite part about this course. It is important to be able to use your education outside of the classroom especially when it is beneficial to yourself and others.
The day John Beale guest lectured our class, he was covering ethics in photojournalism. This was the day my favorite case study was shared. Beale told us about how he covered a hermit in the woods on the outskirts of his hometown. He told us he had covered the hermit’s life since his photojournalism career started around age 20. Beale visited the man in the woods, took his photo many times and spoke with him approximately every week to a month or until he eventually passed away. It struck me as so interesting because despite Beale being a journalist, he was able to provide the man with company and tell his story at the same time. Beale discussed ethical messages he received from this scenario. Beale and the man were friends but at the same time Beale was a journalist and was doing his job, creating a story. The ethical question that stood after the lecture: Is it ethical to have a relationship with the person you’re reporting on?
This course will impact my future career because I am now able to recognize ethical standards. Recognizing ethical standards in the communications field will help my career because being able to recognize others being ethical or in bad cases, unethical allows me to make decisions. It is important because an ethical career is more likely to be successful. This is especially true in the journalism field. Reporting in an ethical manner creates reader trust. When readers trust what information you report, they will read your work time and time again.
The course will impact my future life because I’ve gained new perspectives through this course. It has shaped me to make ethical choices in the future because of the different ethical theories, rules and case studies I am now aware of. Researching case studies allowed me to compare my actions with others and decide how to move forward.
As a whole, this course is a necessary component of a Journalism major. It not only teaches us new theories of ethics, but it places a perspective on how detrimental breaking laws of ethics can be to one’s career. This course is so valuable because lessons taught can be applied to one’s life and career.