Situation Definition:
One main issue that brings me intense ethical messaging is that Stephen Glass from the movie lied to his editor and co-workers about the stories he was writing. I thought that was just unethical and just wrong because his editor and co-workers trusted him and defended him but he just stood by and let them not know the truth. What Glass did to his editor and co-workers was not only unethical but it was just wrong.
The second main issue that brings me intense ethical messaging is that Stephen Glass made up a lot of the stories that the publication he worked for published. Glass knew that he wasn’t writing truthful stories but he still went ahead and acted like he was writing truthful articles. I think to do that and just not say anything is wrong and is something that you just can’t do. Glass did it anyway and it worked for a while but at some point there was a good chance that someone would find out and he would have to pay for his mistakes.
Analysis:
Stephen Glass did what he did because he wanted to show that he was a young talented journalist, who could handle the job that he had at the New Republic. Glass also did what he did because he wanted to impress his co-workers and wanted his co-workers to like him. Besides writing false articles Glass was very considerate of his co-workers but really it was a cover for the wrongdoing he had done with his writing. I think Glass was in a place where he was a little in over head with the role he had at the publication he worked for and tried to make it work but he did not go about maintaining his heavy workload the right way.
The ethical issues that are at stake are that Glass not only lied to his editor and co-workers but he also lied to the publication’s audience. One of the main jobs of a writer/journalist is to gather facts and report them not make up stories to try and make the story better. Specifically Glass would alter quotes from his interviewees which is unethical and something that you should not do. Another issue that is at stake is the perception of writing in general and how the industry looked when one of the top reporters did something wrong so the audience and general public probably became more skeptical of print publications.
The journalistic values and principles that are in play are integrity, truth and transparency. Journalists and the media hope that the public and people in general are honest when they communicate with them and Glass did not hold himself to this standard. It’s hard to look at what Glass did and then turn around and say that he upheld his end of journalistic values and principles. Glass did not have much integrity when he was working on the articles for the publication he was at and it’s something that is one of the main and core values and principles of journalism.
Glass did not tell the truth to his editor and co-workers and he lied in his articles that were published for the public to read. Since his editor and co-workers and even the public didn’t know that his articles were false, Glass was not telling the truth to anyone. Telling the truth in journalism is the basis for any work being done in the field.
The first scholarly article I used was from Journalism Practice and the author is Birgot Roe Mathisen. The article is about the ethical boundaries of freelance journalists. The reason why I chose this article is because Glass was out of his boundaries when he did what he did and the article talks about how writers can stay within those boundaries that Glass did not stay in. I thought the contrast of ethical freelance journalists and Glass was interesting to look at.
The second scholarly article that I used was the SPJ Code of Ethics at 110 and the author is Paul Fletcher. The article is about the standards and rules that the Society of Professional Journalists sets for all journalists and is the basis for ethics in journalism. The reason why I chose this article is because I think it’s important to look at the foundation that is set in place for all journalists and see what Glass should’ve done and the rules that others were following. I thought it was important to look at the basics to try and better understand where Glass went wrong with ethics in journalism and what he could’ve done differently when it came to ethics in journalism.
Conclusion:
The possible solutions for Glass are to be accompanied by another journalist/writer who can see if he actually conducts his interviews like he says he does and talks to the people he is suppose to on the phone. Another thing that could be done is for all of his articles to be read by everyone in the newsroom so that everyone can see if he is telling the truth or not and if his facts add up. The consequences are that it would take time away from another journalist if this is done and would also take time away from the entire newsroom.
Whether or not Glass should be fired is something I think can go either way. I think what’s more important is that he must take some time to go over the ethics of journalism with an outside consultant and this should be something put in place for all new journalists who are starting out new.
One lesson that I learned from Shattered Glass is that it’s okay to say no to extra work if your workload is already heavy. I think it’s important to get the story done right instead of rushing it and possibly making errors. Another lesson that I learned from Glass’ story is to be careful when reporting. It’s easy to get caught up and run with article after article but it’s okay to slow down and to take your time with your work. I would personally fire Glass but I would make sure that he got the help from a ethics consultant after he was let go.
References:
FLETCHER, P. (2019). The SPJ Code of Ethics at 110. Quill, 107(3), 24–27. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=138533422&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Mathisen, B. R. (2019). Ethical Boundaries among Freelance Journalists. Journalism Practice, 13(8), 1008–1012. https://doi-org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1080/17512786.2019.1642135