Situation Definition
The 2003 hit movie, “Shattered Glass,” was the story of a young man named Stephen Glass who may have taken his journalism expertise for granted. An employee and writer for The New Republic magazine, Glass had fabricated information in over half of the articles he had written and published while employed in the Washington D.C area. Glass was caught inventing his own quotes, sources, events and more in most of the articles that he was publishing. He often was known for writing entertaining or humorous stories, but little did people know that everything they were reading was based on a fictional event.
The first ethical decision that Glass broke is that he lied to everyone around him who supported him and was there for him. He lied to his readers, his co-workers, his publisher and everyone else around him who tried to let him become the best writer he could be. The second thing that he did though, is that he didn’t learn from his decisions and try to improve upon this as his career continued. This wasn’t a one-time thing, rather in fact, it happened over 20 times, but never once did Glass stop and think about being truthful because he loved the fame he was receiving. Glass didn’t think about his future, rather he lived in the moment which came to hurt him in the end.
Analysis
Stephen Glass was a young man who loved to write and wanted to make the most out of every opportunity he was given. I don’t think he was a suspicious man, or a fraudulent man before these events occurred but I think he may have got caught up in the fame and fortune of what had made him such a well-regarded writer. A liar? I don’t think that is how anyone is looking to be described as a human being, and I am sure that was not his intentions at all. Instead his intentions were to give readers the best possible stories, but in his case, either factual or fabricated.
“Halevy et al. surveyed all first-year psychology students at the University of Amsterdam and asked them how many time in the last 24 hours that they had lied to different people. The authors observed that lying in part of everyday social interaction and that most people are honest most of the time and that a small minority lies frequently” (Why Journalists Lie:). It is an everyday thing, that every single one of us has taken part of at some point in our lives. Have some of us lied more than others, yes, but that doesn’t change the fact that lying is something that everyone has been guilty of at some point. For Glass, he took it to a new extreme by lying to millions of people who had looked up to him because of the well-known writer he had become.
Some of the principles of being a journalist include truth, accuracy, humanity, and accountability. In the story of Stephen Glass, I can’t confidently say that he portrayed any of these characteristics and this is why everything that he did was so unethical. The truth and accuracy portion is very self-explanative when it comes to Glass’s story because there wasn’t much truth involved, and little to none of his information was accurate. In regards to humanity, what journalists publish should not negatively impact the lives of others, in this case the readers. Lastly, specifically in detail about accountability, journalists are professionals who have to hold their selves accountable for everything that they do. If we make a mistake, come forward and admit to it. Don’t hide it and continue to do it like Glass did, it is only going to get worse just like it did for Stephen.
“He longs to be admired and loved; he cheats to avoid rejection. But the author also points a stern finger of blame at workplace pressures” (Why They Lie). Glass who was feeling the pressure that all journalists face at some point in their career, got caught in the moment and went against his normal ethical ways. Is he a bad person because of it now? No, of course not, but he is going to live with the guilt that comes along with making such a major mistake of what he did. When people go through challenges and difficulties, the easiest way to not get yourself in trouble is to slow and down and relax. Take a break from your work, don’t make stuff up to get it done. If you are professional at what you do, there is no need to stress for an extended period of time. No one can do your job like you can, so take the time to sit back and take time to yourself to get yourself in the right state of mind.
Conclusion
One thing that I learned from this lesson and this film is that not everything is going to come easy in life. While struggles are going to arise, it is how you are able to deal with these difficulties that labels your success in life. Taking the easy route out, and doing the least amount of work is what gets you to be unsuccessful. It is the people who work the hardest, whether they have the least or most knowledge of a topic that are going to be the most successful for the longest period of time.
Glass may have made a huge mistake, but he should have come out earlier and admitted his wrong beings. He had an opportunity to let the truth out and instead decided to continue lying. He had a chance to save his career, but he missed that opportunity and now has to live with the guilt of what could end up being his worst nightmare ever.
References
Shapiro, I. (2006). Why They Lie: Probing the Explanations for Journalistic Cheating. Canadian Journal of Communication, 31(1), 261–266. https://doi- org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.22230/cjc.2006v31n1a1595
SPURLOCK, J. (2016). Why Journalists Lie: The Troublesome Times for Janet Cooke, Stephen Glass, Jayson Blair, and Brian Williams. ETC: A Review of General Semantics, 73(1), 71RetrievedFromhttp://search.ebscohost.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=125698524&site=ehost-live&scope=site