A Lesson in Ethics

Corttany Brooks
cb970011@ohio.edu 

In the mid-twentieth century, prominent journalists were among the most respected figures in the country. A famous 1972 poll found that 72 percent of Americans trusted CBS Evening News anchor Walter Cronkite, a higher share than any other public figure received in the survey. In popular culture, journalists were noble defenders of democracy and the public interest.

During his career at CBS News, Walter Cronkite reported on
many events, including bombings during WWII, the Nuremberg
trials, combat in Vietnam, Watergate and the assassination of
President John F. Kennedy. Photo courtesy of PBS.org.

Today, the news media’s place in society has changed. Public evaluations of news organizations’ performance on key measures such as accuracy, fairness and independence remain near all-time lows.

However, according to the Pew Research Center article discussed last week, there is a bright spot among these otherwise gloomy ratings: “broad majorities continue to say the press acts as a watchdog by preventing political leaders from doing things that should not be done, a view that is as widely held today as at any point over the past three decades.” 

Journalists, student or veteran, have an obligation and privilege to seek and report the truth, encourage civic debate to build our communities, and serve the public interest. I chose journalism because being the voice of the people is more than just an industry. 

The broad field of journalism is changing fast and with that students need to gain experience throughout their college years now more than ever.

Here at Ohio University instruction focuses on developing news judgment, writing accurately and fairly and understanding the complexities of media writing. We gain knowledge and develop skills in collecting and relaying information in producing stories for print, broadcast and the internet. 

However, it was at my internship this summer at Edible Indy magazine in Indianapolis that a more solid understanding of media ethics and personal responsibility was stressed. School prepares you for the real world, but an internship is a chance to get a feel for the life you hope to be living one day— one that requires ethical decision-making everyday. 

Journalism scandals, whether intentional or accidental, are
high-profile incidents with extensive social impacts. Photo
courtesy of AAP.

Actually being in the real world and making those day-to-day ethical decisions, not only made me a better journalist, but with the mentoring and hands on experience made available to me at Edible Indy, I’m have gained invaluable life experience in the practice and morals associated with professional writing and reporting. 

As a journalist, my main goal is to ensure the right of citizens to truthful and impactful information, which allows them to form adequate opinions about social processes and situations in the modern world.

For me, the most impactful message from today’s reading was the overlying truth that journalists have not been responding to these past few decades of criticism in a constructive manner. Journalists of all ages need to be able to respond to these criticisms and turn these accusations into a thoughtful discussion. 

We need now more than ever to find a way to show the public not only what newspeople do, but how and why we do it. In every young reporter I’ve met here at Scripps stems a passion; whether that be to be the voice of the people or just a talented storyteller, the basis of that passion is a personal dedication to truthfulness and fairness.