Part 1. Situation Definition:
A few weeks ago in class we watched the film Shattered Glass, which told the story of Stephen Glass, a reporter for the New Republic. Stephen Glass was admired by many for the elaborate and wild stories he would report and write about, however, he was practicing unethical journalism to create them. The movie tells the story of how he was finally caught in the act after countless falsified stories released in the New Republic.
One main ethical issue that struck me was his ability to fabricate his stories. Some stories had a few fabricated details, such as made up quotes or made up people, to enhance his story slightly. While others were entirely fabricated. Another issue that struck me was his ability to lie and deceive not only the public, but his own co-workers. His ability to lie to the faces of the people that trusted him most was extremely unethical.
Part 2. Analysis:
The first main ethical issue presented in Shattered Glass was his ability to fabricate stories. Whether fabricating only a few facts to enhance a story or completely making the story up, it is an extremely unethical practice in journalism. Stephen Glass, during his time at the New Republic, had wrote 27 false stories out of 41. The film focused mainly on his story “Hacker Heaven” which told the story of a young boy who had hacked into a tech firm’s website. Glass had completely made up the story and went through extraordinary efforts so he wouldn’t get caught, including creating a fake website, making fake voice mails, and detailed notes of his day at the “hackers convention”. Even when his pieces were being called into question, Glass led a co-worker to a random location where the hacker convention supposedly had taken place to continue the fabrication.
Fabrication in journalism is an extremely unethical. Made up stories deceive the public with false information. Even though Stephen Glass had not written and fabricated stories that would hurt anyone, it is a journalist’s job to report truthfully and only facts. “The media voluntarily serves the public through an unwritten agreement. Journalists should promote public interests and knowledge and have a moral culture that goes beyond the legal requirements already in place” (Conley, D). Glass completely disregarded his duty as a journalist to be truthful to the public when he fabricated stories for entertainment and praise. The extent to which he went through to fabricate the stories is very alarming. He put so much effort in to the deceive the public and make his stories credible, when he could have been spending the time finding actual true stories to report on.
Yet another ethical issue in the film is Glass’s ability to lie directly to his co-workers. Glass would attend conference meetings at work to pitch his elaborate stories to his co-workers. His co-workers would get excited and praise him for his incredible stories and good journalism. They trusted him, saw him as a good friend and gifted journalist, and even defended his honor when his work was called into question. His ability to lie to the faces of the people that trusted him most was extremely unethical.
Although lying in journalism even just once isn’t good, continually deceiving people for an extended period of time is a very unethical practice. Many, like Glass, like the praise they get from others and feel good about themselves, even if it is a lie. “Self esteem and social acceptance” are two factors of lying. “Liars lie to protect themselves, look good, gain financially or socially and avoid punishment” (Spurlock, J). Lying to others allowed Glass to fit in at the New Republic and make friends, and it also allowed for him to become widely popular and admired in the journalism world.
To avoid these unethical issues, as well as many other issues that could occur in journalism, it is always best to report truthfully and show your true self to others. Doing so will allow you to practice journalism ethically and make true connections with others. I would suggest that others in a similar position as Glass to follow ethical journalism, as it is easier to do what is right than face the backlash when your caught.
Part 3. Conclusion:
Unethical reporting in journalism is a wrong against the public who trust that the information is credible and true. This film about Stephen Glass was eye opening to me, as I was unaware of how unethical people could be in journalism. This film taught me to not trust everything I read, but it also taught me the harsh consequences that follow to those who chose to lie.
To resolve the fabrication dilemma in journalism, the news stations must place more emphasis on the importance of fact checking and do more extensive fact checking. To resolve the deception dilemma I think news stations should try to watch out for writers who always seem to have the “perfect story”, because they could very well be deceiving everyone. The most effective was to stop deception and fabrication in the media is to be an ethical journalist form the start. If you are reporting ethically and telling the truth, you will not find yourself in the position of having to lie to others and go to extreme lengths to cover your tracks.
Part 4. References:
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.
Conley, D. (2009). Media Law and Ethics: Intersection of The New York Times Code of Ethics and Cases. Conference Papers — National Communication Association, 1.