Ethical Lessons:
In this semester’s 409 class, I truly learned a lot about the journalism in the U.S. There are two important ethical lessons I remember the most from the lecture. One is conflict of interest, which journalists should have a conflict of interest if any self-interest, or loyal to any person or organization, deflects them from serving the public. People all have their own idea on certain events, but what journalists need to do is to report the event objectively, and let the readers to decide. Another important ethical lesson I remember the most would be copyright and fair use. I didn’t realize copyright and fair use would be so important at first, but after this class, I understand that it could cause a huge problem.
Case Study:
The case study impressed me the most is what we talked about at the first couple classes of 409- The Shattered Glass. From watching the movie, I realize that deception and fabrication in journalism can be so bad as how Stephen Glass not only lies to his co-workers and editors so many times, but also fake his stories.. We as journalists need to be honest and report the story 100% correct. There are interesting stories happening every day in the world, what you need to do is go out and try your best to find them instead of being lazy and fake the story. In the end of the movie, Stephen Glass’s lies got exposed and punished, which also remind us that don’t create fake news to get attention; your lie would be exposed at certain point of time.
Course Impact:
This course has a huge impact on my future, because it taught me the ethics of journalism and tells me what to do. I had only basic concept of ethics in journalism at the start of this class but now I have learned so much. This class has also improved my writing skills in APA format and finding resources that can support my writings. In the future, all I have to do is try not to forget everything that Dr. Z taught me.
Reflection:
Overall, I am really happy to have this class and have Dr. Z as my professor. We talk about ethical issues every day and he would let us decide whether the incident is ethical or not at first, then elaborate on the case. It’s better than just tell us what’s ethical or unethical, but let us have our own opinion at first. I have accomplished so much in this class and I am so thankful that I can have this class and have Dr. Z as my professor. Thank You!