Juan, J, Guevara
So, I just read Chapter 10 of Elements of Journalism and it leaves me with… a lot. It is a sad thing to witness a profession, any profession, be misrepresented by one bad apple. In this reading, that bad apple is Jayson Blair. Blair fabricated stories, based his writings on reports that other journalist wrote, and his “eyewitness” details came from photos which he saw in the Times photo archives. This Blair guy was like if the universe created a living representation of the word plagiarism. The unfortunate thing about this is others reported Blair’s ethically suspicious behavior up the chain of command with little effect, which, brings me to my point.
People like Blair, they are, unfortunately... everywhere. McDonald's have Blairs in the form of an employee stating he checked the expiration date prior to leaving work when in fact he did not or blatantly steal from customer’s. Convenience stores, Grocery stores, Law Enforcement, The Federal Government, there are Blairs everywhere you look! But, luckily for us, there are plenty of people looking out for Blair’s because, plain and simple, Blair’s are bad for business. Blair’s are selfish, greedy, and, no hold’s barred type of people who will compromise on even the holiest of principles. For what? For anything; promotions, payouts, relevance, or just having someone sit there and give them even the tiniest attention.
Because we know there are people like that out there, everyone, not just supervisors, have a responsibility to police ourselves. The price is too high not to. One person can cause damage which will take years to recover from. It can take so long, the person who caused the damage may be well gone, yet, the wounds this person caused to the industry are very much still raw and open. We need to check each other about what we say and even how we say it. Recently, The FBI stated they were struggling to recruit new, special agents. A position, which, in the past, needed absolutely no marketing. It seems to me, some of the statements and actions made by a small few have damaged the perception and reputation of a once, internationally coveted, organization and who knows how long it will take to recover that prestigiousness. If I think about it more, I might dare say, I, have once in my life been a Blair. When we decide to satisfy our own needs, I think, sometimes, we tend to do it at the expense of others. Don’t be a Blair, and, if you find someone else being a Blair, you have the full green light from the rest of us to call them out. Because the price is too high, especially, when what your selling is supposed to be the truth.
Logan Paul, Youtuber.
Because we know there are people like that out there, everyone, not just supervisors, have a responsibility to police ourselves. The price is too high not to. One person can cause damage which will take years to recover from. It can take so long, the person who caused the damage may be well gone, yet, the wounds this person caused to the industry are very much still raw and open. We need to check each other about what we say and even how we say it. Recently, The FBI stated they were struggling to recruit new, special agents. A position, which, in the past, needed absolutely no marketing. It seems to me, some of the statements and actions made by a small few have damaged the perception and reputation of a once, internationally coveted, organization and who knows how long it will take to recover that prestigiousness. If I think about it more, I might dare say, I, have once in my life been a Blair. When we decide to satisfy our own needs, I think, sometimes, we tend to do it at the expense of others. Don’t be a Blair, and, if you find someone else being a Blair, you have the full green light from the rest of us to call them out. Because the price is too high, especially, when what your selling is supposed to be the truth.
The idea of the FBI having to advertise is quite interesting and certainly telling. I think there is so much that is now compromised that it makes for such a sad scene. People who misuse the media certainly deserve the criticism, because it compromises so many around them who are trying to be ethical.
ReplyDeleteGregory Petersen (gp420718@ohio.edu)