Of all the takeaways from Billy Ray’s 2003 film Shattered Glass, the most significant are the ones regarding ethics and morals. The tribulations of Stephen Glass’ skewed moral compass affected not only himself, but those around him and forever tarnished the names of all publications associated with him. Throughout the film, now only was Glass a pathological liar, but he was also self-deluding. These aspects of his character lead to his demise as a continually destructive force in the journalism industry.
One might suggest that the reason behind Glass’ self-destructive tendencies is an underlying mental health issue. Though it may not be classified as a certain disorder and he may not identify as having one, this could certainly be the case. At the very least, he has had to have endured some sort of trauma or experience that led him to believe that self-delusion and pathological lying are effective ways to go about situations and achieve accomplishments/praise. Most obviously, the ethical issues brought forth by Glass’ behavior include his lack of responsibility for the accuracy of his work, and his deliberate distorting of facts and context. In terms of journalistic principles, Glass blatantly failed to adhere to truth and accuracy as well as accountability. Glass’ self-deceptive behavior was a consequential result of the lies he had put forth in the first place. In the detailed record, Why Journalists Lie: The Troublesome Times for Janet Cooke, Stephen Glass, Jayson Blair, and Brian Willias, the author states that, “When you get away with a lie it often impels you to continue your deceptions. Also, liars often find themselves perpetrating more untruths to cover themselves.” This was entirely the case for Glass, as it was his original web of lies that caused him to spiral deeper into further lies. The Journal of Media Ethics places blame on the general media as well as the journalist responsible for false reporting. Regarding the behavior of President Donald Trump and other figures of authority, they said the following:
“To best serve the public and its need to know the truth, the media need to step into their role as the fourth estate—as the watchdog of those who hold positions of power—and call them out when they trade in false information.”
When facing the challenges posed by these ethical issues, I always heir on the side of caution and report only what I know is absolutely, factually true. If a statement can be considered questionable in any way, it should simply not be published. Furthermore, the deliberate distorting of facts and content can be avoided by reporting on meaningful and significant stories. If a story is not intriguing on its own and “requires” fabrication, it is not worth writing.
Ending up in a position as troublesome as Glass’ can be difficult, almost impossible, to recover from, but it is possible with an appropriate course of action. An important ethic employed by journalists is the acknowledgement of mistakes and the correction of those mistakes accompanied by a sufficient explanation and apology. Glass’ issue (which shone through his tendency to pathologically lie) was that he refused to admit to his wrongdoings, despite his many opportunities to do so and change. Journalists everywhere can learn from Glass’ great mistakes, and consider his toxic behavior patterns’ impact on his “success” in journalism. While it may be possible to succeed in fabricating information in the short run, eventually being caught in a web of lies is inevitable.
Sources:
Skewes, E. (2018, April 13). Time Delays are Not Enough; Media Must Call Out Lies. Journal of Media Ethics. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Spurlock, J. (2016, January). WHY JOURNALISTS LIE: THE TROUBLESOME TIMES FOR JANET COOKE, STEPHEN GLASS, JAYSON BLAIR, AND BRIAN WILLIAMS [Electronic version]. ETC: A Review of General Semantics, 73(1), 71-76.