Lessons
I learned that journalists’ priority should be loyalty to citizens. Before this class, I believed that journalists had an obligation to tell the truth, but that their loyalty was with the newspaper or organization they represent. However, because journalists’ first loyalty is to citizens, the truth becomes more highly valued. Along with this loyalty, journalists provide citizens with the necessary information to self-govern, protect, and educate themselves. I also learned about citizen’s rights to privacy. This topic is evolving with modern technology and can be difficult to understand. Even in times of tragedy, anything that happens in public can be reported. I assumed that there would be some exclusion to this rule, but I now see that the occurrences can be important in informing the public. More often than not, the coverage of these public events is morally judged by the journalist. This was interesting because some decisions are made by the media based on the perceived audience’s curiosity, or the obvious need to know.
Case Study
I found the case study about Stephen Glass to be very interesting. I alarmed me how long he was able to get away with lying and fabricating news stories. Shattered Glass was informative at how Glass was found out and eventually fired from his job at The New Republic. Glass had fabricated details in over half of his articles and had convinced his coworkers and editors that these stories were true. Instead of having the public’s best interest as his priority, Glass favored his own image and fame. He valued the way people perceived him more than he valued the truth and trust of his readers and peers. This case study was important because it showed me the consequences of acting unethically as a journalist. Even slight lies or fabrications can have large consequences and cannot only harm one person’s reputation, but the reputation of the entire staff and the integrity of the news organization they represent. Glass’ actions ended his career as a journalist and his unethical decisions will follow him whenever he publishes work. People will remember his name and his actions and distrust him, though he is no longer a journalist. The consequences of his actions demonstrated the severity of lying and fabricating stories.
Impact
This course has shown me the ethical side of journalism. I had not previously taken a journalism class in college and so I only knew the basics of proper writing styles and interviewing techniques. The course has shown me how to evaluate different scenarios not just for myself, but for my intended audience. I have learned what news topics are considered sensitive and how caution needs to be taken when reporting on them. I have also learned about plagiarism, and have become more conscious of how I attribute sources in my writing. This course will bring a lot to me in my career in Public Relations. As a representative of a specific brand, I will have an ethical view of the information I am giving to my audience, and be more likely to be loyal to them, rather than to my organization. This course has diversified my understanding of communications and the emphasis on honesty will be vital to success in my career. By looking at the case studies, I know the consequences of making ethical sacrifices and will be less likely to make them in the future.
Reflection
I enjoyed this course a lot. I think it provides an in-depth analysis of the journalism world, which is not offered in other classes. I believe this course has given me a more well-rounded background in the world of communications which will be an asset to me in my career. I found that learning what to do, as well as what not to do, was very helpful in understanding the various topics. I also enjoyed learning about the case studies to see how what we were learning transferred to the real world.