Before I read the chapter about ethics in News Writing and Reporting
I knew there was a code of ethics among journalists. I did not know however
that there were so many facets to this code of ethics. I had never heard of
deontological, teleological and antinomianism ethics. The type of ethics a
journalist adheres to can influence the type of journalist they are and how
they write. After reading more about
what each of these types of ethics entails I wondered why any journalist would
limit himself or herself to adhering to just one type of ethics. Why wouldn’t they
follow deontological, teleological and antinomianism? If one of the main rules of journalism is to
be objective, it seems like you’d need to also not limit yourself to one kind
of ethics.
The New York Times Vargas story was really moving. I thought it was interesting that he talked about how he felt like he had to prove that he belonged in America and decided to prove himself through journalism. I was surprised how many people supported him and accepted the fact that he was an illegal immigrant with forged documents. There is so much emphasis put on the negative aspects of illegal immigrants that we have lost site of the people who come to this country to make something of themselves and truly believe that being an American citizen will give them a chance at a successful future.
The New York Times Vargas story was really moving. I thought it was interesting that he talked about how he felt like he had to prove that he belonged in America and decided to prove himself through journalism. I was surprised how many people supported him and accepted the fact that he was an illegal immigrant with forged documents. There is so much emphasis put on the negative aspects of illegal immigrants that we have lost site of the people who come to this country to make something of themselves and truly believe that being an American citizen will give them a chance at a successful future.
I was thinking about the same thing while reading this section in the ethics chapter. I also believe it's easier said than done. I also think that's were a lot of journalism becomes tainted is when journalists have trouble with sticking with their ethics.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes ethics so hard is not just thinking about what you believe is right, as a journalist, but you also have to consider what others reading are going to believe is right, and I think that's where the challenge comes in.
For the journalism ethic part, it really doesn't have a criterion to judge. But different people do have different opinions about it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that "the type of ethics a journalist adheres to can influence the type of journalist they are and how they write". For example, there is always debating photograph journalists should take pictures or save people during the war. They argue from different side. But you really can say which is right or which is wrong. It is all about your own belief.