Two Ethical Lessons
Throughout the course of the semester we have learned several valuable ethical lessons and their impacts through case studies. One important ethical lesson I have learned during my time in this course is fake news. Fake news is everywhere in today’s society and has become such a popular method of journalism recently. A case study that pertains to fake news is the case we examined about Jestin Coler and his dramatized and fake stories he created during the most recent presidential elections. Coler created fake stories though multiple website domains and posted them on Facebook to influence citizens to vote for a certain political party over the other. This taught me that it doesn’t matter what your profession or whatever your agenda, through the internet and social media, it is possible to spread news and your message whether it’s real or fake. It is important to educate and make people aware of fake news so they are not misinformed and lied to by those with bad intentions.
Another ethical lesson that we learned over the course of the semester is honesty. Lying and deceiving others for temporary gain ultimately leads to ethical problems and infractions. In the case of Stephen Glass and the film “Shattered Glass” we watched in class, Glass created fake and inaccurate stories often making up sources to try a legitimize his lies. He deceived his editor, his co-workers who vouched for him and those who read his stories. As a result, he lost everyone’s trust and his dishonestly ruined his reputation and impacted his promising career as a journalist. This ethical lesson is arguably the most important one we learned in class as lying can destroy someone’s career and legacy.
Case Study
The case study that impressed me the most was the case study I examined about San Francisco Chronicle reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams. The two authors were praised for their stories about sports figures involved with steroids and protected the source, Troy Ellerman, who had leaked testimony to them from the grand jury investigating the BALCO sports-and-steroids. Additionally, Ellerman, a lawyer, was using the writers as he lied under oath and refused to admit his role as the leaker. I found this to be important as it exemplifies an important ethical lesson, always tell the truth. Because of Ellerman’s ethical infraction, this entire situation resulted in a court case and tarnished his legacy. This further shows how important it is to be honest and the problems that are associated with lying.
Course Impact and Reflection
This course has taught me valuable lessons regarding how ethics plays a role in journalism. I believe that the impact of these important topics will help shape and mold me as a professional and in my career. These lessons will help me navigate through potential situations I may come across in my career. Additionally, learning about ethics through case studies have helped me to better comprehend real-life examples that pertain to ethic infractions and the dilemmas that result because of them. Finally, I think this is a useful and effective course regardless of one’s major or career aspirations. Ethics is present in every situation and everyday life, and as proven by the some of our case studies this semester, you don’t need to be a journalist to be involved in an ethical situation.