Looking back on the semester I cannot believe it is almost already over, I feel like every semester is going by faster and faster. When I had first signed up for this class, I was not expecting to walk away from it with so many lessons that I have learned. Signing up for this class I was excited to learn about the ethical values that would shape my thinking, but did not know what to expect. Not only did this class do that, but it also taught me life lessons.
Throughout this course I learned many different ethical lessons through class lectures, quizzes and case readings. One of the most impactful lessons I learned from the lecture was to tell the truth. When we had watched the film, Shattered Glass, I felt like I was learning through his mistakes. Of course it is obvious to never lie or fabricate any stories when they are supposed to be the truth, but before taking this course I did not know the consequences that are given when doing so. As a journalist, it is important to be completely truthful with your audience and yourself. From that movie not only was Stephen Glass lying to his audience and co-workers, he was lying to himself since he never admitted what he was doing was unethical. Another impactful lesson I had learned from this course was the Five Ethical Principles which help someone make moral decisions in journalism and other jobs. The Five Ethical Principles consist of Aristotle’s Golden Mean, Kant’s Categorical Imperative, Mill’s Principle Utility, Rawl’s Veil of Ignorance, and Judeo-Christian Persons as Ends. All of these help us decide what is right and what’s wrong in reporting.
The case study that impressed me the most was the first case study about Stephen Glass. Like I had mentioned before, telling the truth in journalism is so impactful and the most important thing to do for your audience. With this case study being done first, it showed many different lessons that people have to learn in the workforce. Stephen Glass was very successful until he got caught lying in all of his writings which completely ruined his reputation and trust with his audience. In order to be successful, you cannot rush to become it and cannot cut corners.
This course definitely will have a major impact on my future and career because it has taught me many lessons. This course helped me develop many ways of ethical thinking and will help me overcome situations that come up in the future for my career. I think this course touched on so many different topics that have all been followed up by examples, like interviews and films. I enjoyed learning about all of this and how it is dealt with in the real world.