Overall, COMM 409 has been a great course. I have learned so much throughout this semester, both related to news media ethics and even beyond just that topic. After taking this course, I feel I have a deeper understanding of the journalism industry and all that goes into being a responsible journalist.
Two Ethical Lessons
The first ethical lesson that I have taken away from this course was to always tell the truth. I was surprised that we had a lecture titled ‘Deception and Truth-telling’ because I have always assumed that telling the truth was common sense and the right thing to do. As I learned throughout this course, not everyone agrees. I am still surprised that so many people have made examples out of themselves by not sharing the correct information to the public. For example, part of Stephen Glass’s case involved his lack of truth telling, which was very surprising for me to learn about. As a result, I have learned that it truth telling is a crucial part of journalism, which is why it is one of my biggest ethical lessons to take away from this class.
The second ethical lesson that I have learned from this course is regarding invasion of privacy. I found this lecture to be very interesting. I really enjoyed learning about what privacy rights people have in certain situations. I feel this information is very useful for everyone to know since our rights change based on the situation we are in. The biggest lesson I took from this lecture was as a journalist, we always need to be aware of everyone’s privacy rights. Journalists need to be sure they understand the laws surrounding privacy to be sure they never cross boundaries and get themselves into trouble. I think this was one of the most important lectures, especially since there are such thin lines that can be crossed when it comes to privacy rights.
One Case Study That Impressed Me
The case study that impressed me the most was Brian Williams and his fabrication of the news story regarding a helicopter incident in Iraq. This case stuck out to me the most because Brian Williams is such a big name in the journalism industry. Even though I was young when he was at his prime on air, I still remember seeing him on the news and I recognized his name and face. In 2015, when his case broke, I do not remember being very aware of it occurring. During COMM 409, when we learned about his case on multiple occasions, I was shocked. Learning about a guy who was so well-known in this industry being caught lying on national television was a shock to me. This is when I realized that no one in the journalism industry is invincible, and even if they are well-known and highly paid, they will be caught. This was the first example I have learned about that included someone I recognized, which is why I was so interested in learning more about it.
Impact of the Course on my Life
Through COMM 409, I have learned many critical lessons, as I mentioned above. I have also been shown numerous examples of people who have violated the ethical journalism practices, and now I have seen what can happen if I were to do so. These lessons and examples of exactly what not to do will follow me wherever my career may take me. Even if I don’t end up in the journalism field, these ethical practices can be applied to any industry. Many of these lessons are centered around being a decent human. As I move and grow throughout my career, I will take this toolbox full of ethical principles and practices with me. I am only a junior, so I’m not exactly certain where my first job will be after graduation. However, I know that after taking this course, I will be more aware of how I should be conducting myself and my practices and how others I may work with should be as well.
My Final Thoughts
Overall, this course has been very enjoyable. I really enjoyed learning about so many different case studies and examples of unethical practices. I think this was a nice way to apply the concepts we learned in lecture. Completing the case study project with a group was also a nice way to meet other students in the class and be able to discuss the concepts we were learning in lecture. This class is filled with important lessons, and I am so glad I got the chance to learn all of them. Thank you for everything Dr. Z.