bw977911@ohio.edu
In the field of journalism, we can't ever expect any similar work days; each day is a new project keeping up with the rest of the world. The word "ethics" for a journalist is a constant struggle of trying to please people in the right way. Steve Knowlton and Bill Reader's "Moral Reasoning for Journalists" highlights the importance of ethics from a journalist's perspective and how it has evolved over the years. They discuss the beginning of this broad term and now today, how the "rights" and "wrongs" have changed our minds toward the media.
The Viewers
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram...repeat. This is a typical routine for any cellphone user. The media have so many viewers to this day, but all people want is the truth. Journalists are criticized everyday for this ethical issue. Whether the news comes from the web, social media, magazines or the television, the truth is never one sided. Tabloid journalism gets more attention each day because most viewers are interested in stories focused on fame and celebrities. For example, our president has 36 million Twitter followers and Justin Bieber has 44 million.
The Journalists
Similar to the recent Miley Cyrus scandal and her takeover throughout the media, earlier this summer Lindsay Lohan had a similar act. I remember logging into my Yahoo email and constantly seeing her name in the "trending now" section. This was making top news day after day because of how she was portraying herself to society. Although Lindsay Lohan is not as young as Miley Cyrus, she still has plenty of fans from her acting days. Many people were not pleased with all of the coverage on Lindsay Lohan and her drug addictions, while others look forward to what was going to happen next. The news revealed that Lohan was spotted at Fashion Week cheering on her sister after her 90-day stay in rehab. Instead of seeing Lindsay Lohan and Miley Cyrus on Yahoo, wouldn't it be better to see about the news in healthcare? Journalists always want to please the public which is why they cover the celebrity stories. These stories get more views than political coverage because these are issues that society enjoys reading.
The Reactions
The opening sentence on CNN started by saying, "this could be the last article you read for the next three months". The news organizations realize the reactions and views on these stories were increasing because they put out the stories that the public wants. The news was covering this story like crazy and all formed the same type of opinion relating to whether Lohan was using drugs or not. This summer issue was relevant in tabloid journalism because it was affecting her health, but we as viewers should want to hear more about other news regarding health, like healthcare laws. We need to let the news and media know that journalism is not dying down and that we are focused on the important stories in our society. Just like the click of a mouse can go a long way, the criticism toward a journalist is never ending.
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