Throughout this course, I have learned many things about the do’s and don’ts of journalism and what is ethically correct and incorrect. I feel as though I have been able to recognize what is wrong and right through the multiple lectures and examples that we viewed in class. First, one of the most important ethical lessons I learned about was lying and deception. After reviewing the Stephen Glass and Janet Cooke case, I understood more than ever how horrible and wrong it is to lie in the world of journalism and what the consequences are. Along with termination of their position, both reporters had a ruined reputation, one that lasted for years to come. Stephen Glass has been put in a negative light by all other news outlets and Janet Cooke was forced to return her Pulitzer Prize. With being so ashamed of that, she moved to France for 13 years to avoid the negative limelight she was put in. Secondly, I became more aware of the ethical lesson involving consent and publishing individual’s names. Through the many cases we looked at regarding sexual assault, some victims did not want their name to be published, however, outlets did anyway. I learned how important it is to really abide by the decency and respect for the victims and publishing what they want published, not what the outlet thinks is best. This goes the same with photography. If someone is not in public, their photograph cannot be taken or published because this would be considered an invasion of privacy.
A case study I learned about and that taught me a great deal was the Janet Cooke scandal regarding her fabricated story, “Jimmy’s World.” This story was about an 8-year-old heroin addict, living with his mother and mother’s lover, where he was shooting up everyday. I was mesmerized by this case because I couldn’t fathom the thought of an 8-year-old doing this, more or less someone being sick enough to think of something like this to make up. I found it disturbing how Janet Cooke was able to allow herself to collect the Pulitzer Prize, until she finally admitted it wasn’t true after the real evidence came to the surface. So, I wouldn’t say this case necessarily impressed me, but it stuck with me.
Moving forward, I feel as though I’ve learned so much about what to do in the news room and outside of it. While some of these ethical lessons are common sense, I’ve become much more aware of how drastic the consequences can be and with that, how important it is to be honest with your audience, co-workers, and yourself. With this sense of honesty, I’d be able to connect with my audience more and I would feel prouder and more accomplished when producing any kind of work.
Overall, I feel as though I learned more in this course than any other I took this semester. I liked how interactive the course was and how much Dr. Z gave us an opportunity to participate. Everyday, I felt as though I learned something new and constructive for my future career. I really liked the presentation assignments we had throughout the semester, with every presentation, I feel as though I learned something new with each group and it was something I could use later in my life, as an example of what not to do, whatever field I end up excelling in.