Learning Outcome 2

It's the responsibility of every journalist to be honest, transparent and ethical when reporting. A true, ethical journalist must act with integrity and fairness while reporting thoroughly and accurately. These defiant principles speak to the importance of being a journalist. During my studies, I took a course dedicated to understanding the importance of ethical dilemmas in the media, JTC 411 - Media Ethics and Issues. By studying the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics, philosophers' theories and everyday workplace dilemmas; I learned how to solve ethical dilemmas in the workplace. 

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When solving an ethical dilemma, it's important to evaluate the situation from afar. Make sure you know all the information and facts. Think about each possible outcome and route that can be taken before weighing the consequences of your decision. Acting as an ethical journalist means you need to understand the functionality not only of your job's function, but the media as a whole. In today's current society there is an infatuation to be "the first one" a.k.a. the first reporter to break the news on social media, television or in print. Working quickly is important, but there is a larger margin of error and possibility of mistakes when reporting. In moments like these, journalists need to remain ethical and follow SPJ's Code of Ethics: seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, be accountable and transparent. It's not easy to solve ethical dilemmas, but it's as crucial as ever to do it correctly in this new age of journalism. To show my understanding of how to make ethical decisions when working in the media, I've included three assignments from my JTC 411 course.

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The first piece of evidence is an evaluation of a case study, "The Undercover Reporter". Student journalist Lauren Segona goes undercover to discover the truth about her university's transfer credit policy. Using Mill's theory, The Principle of Utility, I evaluate how Segona failed to exhaust all of her reporting options before committing to deception.

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My second piece of evidence is an essay that defines and discusses the importance of universalizability in Kant’s Categorical Imperative (the supreme moral law). It answers the question of, "As a media professional, how might we use his theory in our ethical decision-making?" 

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My third piece of evidence shows how I use the Potter Box to make a decision from an ethical dilemma in the case study, "Confronting Others' Violations: The Case of the Manipulated Photo". 25-year-old freelance photojournalist David Calvert is covering a sporting event when he watches another freelance photographer manipulate a photo. Then following morning, the manipulated photograph is on the front page of a newspaper. This is in clear violation of the National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics. Calvert thinks it's a one-time thing, but then witnesses the photographer create another false image. He records the editing process to send to a friend. When the photo editor of a major metropolitan newspaper discovers the manipulation of the photos, he exposes the freelance photographer in a blog post. As a result, the wire service announced a "kill notice" for the manipulated image. Calvert is faced with an ethical dilemma - does he expose the evidence that the freelance photographer did this on purpose? Or do nothing at all and let him get away with it.

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Ethical decision making is extremely difficult. I've learned that it's necessary to consider all reasoning and principles when making a decision. A journalist should always remain honest, fair and truthful in their reporting while keeping the publics at the center of learning information.