Throughout this course, I have learned many ethical concepts/lessons which have left a lasting impression on me. In specific, the topics of EDM in photojournalism and news sources. These topics have brought about very prevalent ideas which I feel are most relevant to the ethical standards I will take from this course. Based on the EDM in photojournalism topic, now more than ever is digital manipulation and falsification relevant ethically among journalists. Pictures and other media find themselves to be distorted and fake at the will of certain unethical journalists. In an age where technology is the main source of news, this is an ethical dilemma which directly affects the audiences of today. As for the news sources topic, this resonates with me for another type of reason. By learning in-depth about sources and their importance, it helped highlight just how much credibility is earned and lost based on fair attribution. In an age of clickbait and fake stories, sources truly help the audience realize what to hold in sincerity and what to take with levity. An ethical dilemma which arises from the issue of fair sourcing is fabrication, a theme present in case studies covered this year. This is why news sourcing/ethical dilemmas with plagiarizing and fabrication are so relevant and are some key things learned from this course.
While taking this course, there were many case studies which impressed me and were very interesting to cover. Overall, my favorite to cover was the Stephen Glass story, due to its recency and gravity of an ethical dilemma. This is due to the intricate lies told by Glass during his time as a reporter and the attention received due to it. A rising star at the Post, ruined by fabrication and lies. Also, it truly nailed home the point that regardless of repercussions, the right decision should always be made to ensure there are no lies told to the audience. It showed the swift justice of the ethical media and the audience, immediately taking away his reporting credibility.
For my future career and life, this class will definitely help me. I am taking this course as an elective for PR, meaning the ethical dilemmas/problems studied in this course will serve me well for any type of job, not just in the realm of reporting. I plan on using the principles learned in this course to help always make a fair, well-informed decision. Overall, this course helped serve as a guide into the world of journalism; and the ethical guidelines which come along with it. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about different ethical standards and context in the workplace, and how to handle conflicts ethically and reasonably.