Two Ethical Lessons:
Over the course of this unprecedented semester filled with twists and turns I have come to learn incredible ethical lessons and case studies that have helped further my education and understanding of the subject. One ethical issue I learned primarily was the issue of the invasion of privacy. This topic was discussed at length multiple times throughout the semester. Invasion of privacy was a topic often brought up when discussing actions such as deciding to publish the name of a sexual assault victim or publishing information about deaths or crimes that have occurred as well. This ethical decision demonstrates the decision-making model and process that journalists follow when determining what action to take. This code of ethics is set to determine whether the information is newsworthy and to also understand the risk vs. reward benefit and the position ramifications of publishing the story as well. Another ethical lesson taught throughout the semester was to always tell the truth. It was always stressed throughout the class that loyalty should always be to the truth and that under no circumstances would lying be an allowed ethical decision to make. The truth will always come out and that was the underlying message taught both in and outside the classroom.
Case Study:
One case study that I found to be impressive that was presented to class was the case study of the death of basketball player Kobe Bryant and his daughter. This case study focused on the ethical decision of the right of privacy. Kobe’s untimely death was published before his family and the other victims’ families were notified and that raised the question of whether that was the right ethical decision by TMZ who broke the news story. The news story also had several inaccurate statements such as original publishing that all of Kobe’s daughters had died with him which turned out to be false. Ultimately that case study raised the ethical dilemma and concern of publishing a story too quickly without having the facts straight on top of violating privacy rights for the victims and their families. It was a truly fascinating case study to listen to; while also bringing up great points about ethical decisions that TMZ and other news outlets had to undergo when publishing that breaking story.
Impact on Future:
Throughout my time in COMM 409 this semester I have learned a great deal about the impact of ethical decision-making. I know there is no doubt in my mind that this will help me in my career and life moving forward. My major is communication and I intend to enter the political field someday so this was an extremely important class to enroll in and a subject to further my education in. This class will help in my future job in that regard but also show me the importance of receiving news in an ethical way, which was not something I had thought about before. It’s important to understand the news we view and the ethical decisions that go into reporting as well.
General Reflection:
Overall I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in this class with Dr. Z whether it was in person or on Zoom. It was always clear he cared deeply about his students and his work and I’m always grateful for him always being available to assist whenever I needed help or had a question. I had always fought the case study presentations by my fellow students to be particularly interesting as well. They provided key examples and background on ethical decisions and news stories that ultimately helped further my understanding and education about the subject moving forward.