COMM 409.2 Reflection – Matthew Long
This class was certainly an enlightening one and, even though I only saw it as a class required for my major, I learned a lot about the ethics of the news industry.
Two ethical lessons I learned over the course of this semester were conflict of interest and the reporting of graphic stories. Prior to this class, I did not have a full understanding of conflict of interest in the field of journalism, with regards to its scope. The moment someone is labeled as a journalist, he/she must always presume to be under public scrutiny. Knowing this fact, once I start a position as a full-time journalists in the upcoming years, I will have to be even more mindful of my actions in public and make sure whatever I’m doing won’t discredit me as a journalist or tarnish the reputation of whichever news organization I’ll be employed at.
I also have no experience reporting/publishing graphic content. Seeing examples of graphic content being reported in the news and pondering on critical questions asked in lecture, like ‘Do these images help with the reporting of the story?’, allowed me to grasp the gravity graphic images can have on the audience.
One case study that stood out to me was the ‘Car in The Canal’ case study. It was interesting to see how different news organizations covered the story of a woman drowning in her sinking car and how, or if, they used the audio files from the 9-1-1 call. The case study and the discussion surrounding it gave me a better perspective on how news outlets deal with the utilization of graphic images in terms of keeping the needs of the viewers in mind. It made me look at the difference between when a news outlet uses graphic images for the purposes of sensationalism and when it uses graphic images to enhance the narrative of the story. In this case study, the 9-1-1 call provided some insight on how the phone operator could have better helped Karla Gurtierrez get out of her car, as well as giving the viewer a better idea as to how she died.
Moving forward, I feel as though I have a more structurally sound foundation as to how to cover news stories ethically and with the needs of the public put first. The case studies discussed in class provided real-world examples on what can happen in the world of journalism if one were not to follow the universal ethical principles every journalist should follow.
Overall, I feel this course has been one of the most insightful communications classes I have taken. I feel that regardless of the journalistic techniques, whether that be practicing AP style, editing photos or reporting feature length stories, none of that matters unless journalists have solid ethical principles to operate with.