Different Values

Kaitlin Heneghan

kh416415@ohio.edu

By Patrick Hardin
Cartoonstock.com — Search ID: Phan8

Everyone has certain values they follow in their lives. Mine? I value honesty, loyalty, open-mindness and respect just to name a few. Some may live by the same values, others may live by different values. Regardless of what they are, everyone values something. Not only can people live by certain values, but so can companies and large corporations.

Almost all businesses, no matter how big or small, have a mission statement. Mission statements of a business usually state the values or beliefs of the business. Whatever their mission statement says is what the company lives by. This can be a huge factor in the success of a business. Businesses want to be relatable and liked by consumers. Having values that are relatable to people can help with that. That way they portray their values different from company to company, especially with competitors. For example, national newsrooms can cover some of the same stories, but telling the stories differently can be based off of the values that are followed by the journalist.

Newsrooms have certain values that are followed by everyone working in the newsroom based on its mission statement. Journalists can follow these values, but also follow the values that they personally hold when it comes to storytelling. Referring to the article, “Who Cares if it’s True?”, mentions BuzzFeed and how their symbol or brand as a nontraditional newsroom that does not take time to fix errors after something is published is not to be ashamed of when it comes to digital news telling. I think this is something that sets BuzzFeed apart from other newsrooms. While other newsrooms would be quick to correct what was mistaken, Buzzfeed’s brand is different and they own up to it. Buzzfeed seems to know that digital is meant to be quick, so if they quickly release a story, that ends up having incorrect facts, the internet is so quick that it will be fixed even if it’s not by them. I don’t think that thinking this way is ethically wrong.

I believe, in any business whether a large corporate office or newsrooms, it’s all dependent on your audience and your values as a company. In the article, “How Great Companies Think Differently", companies that think about human values and use that to help decision making tend to be more successful. This leads back to a company’s values. A company that attracts a younger audience, like Buzzfeed, can have a looseness to them versus a newsroom like the New York Times that has a more professional brand. Their values are different, but one is not more ethical than another based on how they choose to portray their values.

Storytelling is meant to be different from person to person, place to place. Core values in journalism help the public trust what is being said, but journalists are going to show their values differently and express them differently. I think that every newsroom and journalist has the intention of being as honest and transparent as possible, but because of the companies and individual values it can come across differently.