Being a part of COMM 409 this semester was a great learning experience. I enjoyed analyzing different journalist cases, and observing the ethics involved in them, both the right and wrong decisions. This class helped me develop a better understanding of the ethics involving in journalism, which will hopefully help me formulate correct ethical decisions, when reporting.
Each class, professor Bu Zhong provided the class with different ethical implications and asked the class how we would deal with these unique cases as both the reporter and/or editor. This role-play helped me understand what was executed right and what could have been improved for the next package. I really enjoyed taking this class, because it provided me with more than just journalistic skills, it taught me how to successfully work in group projects, and make ethical decisions as a journalist.
The case that made the most impact on me, was Stephen Glass, part of me understood that he wanted to become known for his journalistic skills, however the lies he created showed how deconstructive this approach was. The lies he created didn’t just ruin his own reputation as a reporter; the magazine also lost part of their transparency and fairness as a result. His case, made me aware of importance of fairness in reporting and how it creates a sense of trust with readers. Such as Brian Williams, earlier this semester, his embellishment of the story cost his faithful viewers to lose the trust they once had. Both these cases, show that once your name in journalism is tarnished, especially as an individual, it is hard to make a comeback and gain your audience’s trust back, which one again shows the importance of ethics in this profession.
Professor Bu Zhong went above and beyond for every student, he was always willing to meet with students and discuss classwork. He was an extremely helpful mentor, and offered a lot of good advice and ethical insight about cases examined in class. It was great having him as a teacher, I very much enjoyed having him as my professor for two semesters.
Overall, this class was a great help for my future in journalism, and helping me understand the importance of ethics, and how the trust you have with your audience matters and can easily be tarnished once there is unfairness. Having taken this class, makes me want to be the best journalist I can, once i graduate, and follow the ethics code at all times both on and off the story.