Fight or Flight

Rachel Gies

rg265214@ohio.edu

Photo via istockphoto.com

As journalists, it is our responsibility to rebuild the public's trust. As their faith in us continues to decline, it is crucial that we fix the mess we are in. As students who haven't even had the chance to work in the real world, it may seem unfair that we have to take on this daunting task. However, fighting to rebuild trust is crucial to our future as journalists, so will you fight or flight?

Holding Each Other Accountable

If we really want to evoke change, we must start by being accountable for our work and holding each other to that same standard. Most importantly, we must be ethical. Knowing your own personal ethics code will help you to make clear decisions when you find yourself in the midst of an ethical dilemma. Not only should we hold ourselves up to a certain ethical standard, but we should also hold our colleagues accountable to a moral standard. Although it may sound simple, it's not always easy to speak up when questions or doubts arise about someone else's work. However, as journalists, we must be open to dialogue and push each other to be the best that we can be. Talking, asking questions, and raising doubts is a great way to exercise your personal code of ethics. After all, if we aren't accountable for our work, then how will we ever gain trust back?

Newsroom Diversity

In chapter 10 of Elements of Journalism, the idea of intellectual diversity in the newsroom is brought up. Often, when we think of diversity, race is the first thing that comes to mind. However, this chapter poses the idea that rather than just concerning ourselves with racial diversity, it is also important to have intellectual diversity in the newsroom in order to accurately represent the community it's serving. This kind of diversity allows you to be exposed to different religious, political, and other perspectives. Intellectual diversity allows for deeper, more intuitive dialogue in the newsroom. I think that this is an important idea to consider in order to be able to communicate with a diverse audience.

Challenges in the Fight for Trust

The increase in UGC (user generated content) and fake news has posed a big challenge for the journalism industry. Because UGC can be created by anyone, journalistic standards do not apply. People no longer wait around for their news because social media provides an instantaneous way to constantly be in the loop. The constant turnover of news has created a dangerous cycle. Now, rather than taking the time to craft a story, it has become a race to see who can publish the article the fastest. As a result, journalism has become more about the risk of losing the story to someone else rather than the quality and accuracy of what is being told. We must find a way to balance news between being timely and accurate. Without accuracy, we will continue to dig ourselves a deeper hole in the public eye.

Conclusion

Although it is easy to point out flaws in the journalism industry, it is much harder to actually come up with solutions to the challenges journalists face every day. It sounds simple to say be ethical and hold yourself and others accountable, but it's not as easy as it may seem. There is no one answer to what is right and what is wrong. No matter the situation, we must be prepared to act ethically and fight for what we believe in.