Important Ethical Lessons
From the myriad of lessons and ethical concerns we tackled this semester, all of which fundamentally important in their own right, I believe that the two topics that had the largest impact on me were that of ethical decision making and social responsibility.
Through our discussions in class and analysis of various case studies, we learned that each and every form of journalism, including print, broadcasting, and photo, involves many dilemmas and challenges to be faced from day to day. These could range from conflicts of interest to depictions of violence, and we as journalists will be placed in a position to make decisions for the good of both the news organization and for the community.
The choices we make in this profession determine the degree of truth that our organizations provide, and we need to be sure that we are making logical, informed, and morally upstanding decisions. Therefore, learning the steps and processes involved in ethical decision making is incredibly helpful in order to prepare for these situations.
The models provided by Kidder and The Potter Box allow journalists to understand the ethical dilemma in question, assess the different morals that will factor into decision-making, and choose a solution that embraces many of their critical values and loyalties while also following the codes of ethics as closely as possible. This also provides a framework for journalists to then evaluate their decisions and determine whether or not they made the right choice.
Ethical decision making is a process that is crucial in ensuring that news organizations operate in a manner as unbiased as possible, which directly relates to the second lesson that I felt was most important in this class: social responsibility.
I had never considered the question of just where a journalist’s true loyalties should lie; I had assumed that journalists were simply employees of the organizations they worked for, and that their priorities would lean towards that of their employers. However, I was proved incorrect during our discussion of journalistic principles, in which we learned that a journalism’s first obligation is to the truth, while their first loyalty is to citizens. These principles struck me particularly important, especially in today’s often unpredictable society.
With the spread of fake news and sharp political division, the idea that journalists should be relied upon as trusted sources of information is one that I value very strongly. I learned that journalists are to be responsible of making sense of the facts they are given and making those connections available to the public, and I feel that this is an incredibly important step towards a group of citizens that are aware, educated, and capable of making sound decisions.
While faced with much uncertainty from the government, I believe that journalists must be the ones to uphold this social responsibility and make themselves accountable for staying loyal to the public by always seeking truth, even when it may not be the answers they want to hear. This is why it is then vital, in turn, for journalists to be following the ethical decision making processes listed above, so that they may ensure that they are serving the public to the best of their ability.
Case Study
Among the various case studies we examined this semester, I was most impressed by that of Stephen Glass. I had never heard of this story before, and was shocked to discover that Glass was able to commit such a heinous breach in ethical conduct in journalism for such a long time without being discovered by his colleagues. In creating fictitious stories for an incredibly well-respected news organization such as The New Republic, Glass broke the most obvious of journalistic principles: seek the truth and report it. This blatant disregard for the truth is what drew me into Glass’s story; I was surprised that an obviously intelligent young man with a promising career in journalism could knowingly disprect the rules of his profession.
Admittedly, I was also impressed by Glass’s methods. He was able to work around what should have been an air-tight editing and fact checking system and allow his fabricated work to be published. However, his skill in deceiving an entire population of readers and coworkers is not cause for celebration, and the outcome of the story serves as a cautionary tale. Journalists who do not honor the principles on which the profession stands will ultimately be caught, and I believe that it was fair that Glass did not receive a chance to redeem himself. The scale on which he fabricated his stories was impressive, and yet resulted in his removal from The New Republic and ruined any future he had in journalism. This case was an extreme example of what can happen when journalists attempt to cut corners, and that is why it held my interest.
Future Impact
I feel that many of the lessons we learned in COMM 409 will be applicable to me in my future career, especially since I am hoping to work for a theatre news outlet. While these are different from traditional news organizations in that the coverage is generally limited to happenings and developments in the theatre community rather than the country or world at large, I believe that the ethical principles that were discussed in class would still be put in place in this setting. My interest in theatre may lead me to come in contact with members of the community outside of the news organization I work for, and therefore I will need to be aware of what constitutes a conflict of interest, and what I should do if a such conflict should arise.
Additionally, I am a photojournalism student, and the ethical considerations that we discussed in class regarding the editing of photos and how to follow fair use guidelines will more than likely be a large part of my day-to-day routine. I want to make sure that the photos I take give an accurate portrayal of the event or show that I am covering, and if I am producing content for the news outlet, I want to make sure that I am using my own material rather than including images or music that do not belong to me. Additionally, theatre is a very diverse community, and it is therefore important that this class informed me on how to cover topics such as race and ethnicity.
These are only some of the many principles covered in this course that will prepare me to make ethical choices in my chosen field.
Reflection
Studying ethical principles in this course allowed me to think more critically about situations that I may actually encounter in my future career while also putting current events and relevant case studies into context. We were able to take a look at instances in our own lifetime, such as the Stephen Glass case or the anonymous op-ed published in the New York Times that provided clear examples of the ethical dilemmas and situations discussed in class. I enjoyed studying these cases, as they allowed us to see beyond the realm of the classroom and remind ourselves that ethical decisions have real and sometimes incredibly impactful consequences; it is not a subject to be taken lightly.
I believe that each lesson was fully-fledged and gave valuable insights into the world of journalism in the past, present, and future. Many of the students in this class are aspiring journalists in one field or another, and we all need to be aware of the standards that we will be held to once we graduate. We learned not only from our lectures and textbooks, but also from real world examples as to what ethical and unethical behavior looks like. Our blogs and case study assignments then allowed us to put these ideas into practice and challenged us to think as both scholars and journalists ourselves, as we had to determine what we would do if faced with a similar challenge.
Overall, I believe that this course was incredibly valuable. It touched upon topics that we may not have focused on before, such as fair use policy or how to cover sensitive topics such as race or violence, while also expanding on familiar subjects, such as conflicts of interest or plagiarism. Many might feel that ethical behavior is common sense, but those who enroll in COMM 409 will soon learn that the study of ethics entails much more than knowing the difference between right and wrong. Ethics involves making complicated decisions each day, and this course informs future journalists on how to do just that.