Rebekah's Communication Blog

In class last week we learned a lot about the ethics of journalism. It was SWEET! I've never had to put myself into some of those positions. The group presentation made journalism so much more exciting! They taught us that by following these guideline called "Poynter's Questions for Ethical Decisions" we can decide whether pursuing or running something as a journalist is a good choice.  Poynter's 10 Ethical Questions: 1. What do I know? What do I need to know? 2. What is my journalistic purpose? 3. What are my ethical concerns? 4. What organizational policies and professional guidelines should I consider? 5. How can I include other people, with different perspectives and diverse idea, in the decision making process? 6. Who are the stakeholders - those affected by my decision? What are their motivations? Which are legitimate? 7. What if the roles were reversed? How would I feel if I were in the shoes of the stakeholder? 8. What are the possible consequences ...

How did the movie reflect (or criticize) the era of Pulitzer and Hearst in their approach to news?                Pulitzer and Hearst transformed journalism to be a product of mass consumption. However, their methods of doing this were not exactly ethical by today's standards. Their era of journalism, known as yellow journalism, was based upon sensationalism and crude exaggeration. His Girl Friday was filmed in the 1940’s, about four decades after this era died. Therefore, at this point in history, honest and trustworthy journalism was being openly appreciated. Because of this, I believe that this film was reflecting the era of Pulitzer and Hearst by mocking their methods in a comical fashion. It made journalism seem laughable and completely unreliable.   How do the film’s characters violate journalistic ethics? In the Elements of Journalism we learn that a journalist's first obligation is to reporti...

So far in The Elements of Journalism we've learned about journalism's obligation to the truth , its loyalty to citizens , and in our last class we went over the concept that "the essence of journalism is a discipline of verification." When I first think of journalism's connection to the word "verification" I  only think about the importance of legitimate sources and fact checking. While these are part of verification, there is still so much more! This quote below helps me realize everything verification does for journalism: How do you sift through the rumors, the gossip, the failed memories,  the manipulative agendas, and try to capture something as accurately as possible,  subject to revision in light of new information and perspective?  How do you overcome your own limits of perception, your own experience,  and come to an account that more people will recognize as reliable?  By watching His Girl Friday we were able to see a lot of t...

On Wednesday, Gretchen Morgenson, journalist for the New York Times, visited and spoke at BYU. What Morgensen spoke about (as well as what her novel "Reckless Endangerment" is about) was the aftermath of the 2008 credit crisis. While I may consider myself a journalist, I have never considered myself economically or politically savvy. With this much said, Morgensen's speech was at times difficult to follow; however, it was ultimately enlightening. What Morgensen has done is investigate past history and current events to discover that recently the financial side of government has become increasing immoral in its practices. One fact she mentioned that stood out to me was that in the sequence of the "Savings and Loans Crisis" of the 80's and 90's, more than 11,000 prosecutions were filed. Astoundingly, while this economic fail was much less significant than that of 2008, there has been only one successful prosecution filed. Morgensen also stated that she di...

Professor Campbell spoke on Thursday about a "Philosophical Model for Practicing Journalism." There were many issues adressed but here are some of the point I thought were best: "I defie the Pope and all his lawes. If God spare my life, ere many yeares I wyl cause a boy that driveth the plough to know more of the Scripture, than he doust." - William Tyndale In Professor Campbell's lecture, he made the connection between this quote and Joseph Smith. Thought provoking don't you think? "To those who say people wouldn't look; they wouldn't be interested; they're too complacent, indifferent, and insulated, I can only reply: There is, in one reporter's opinion, considerable evidence against that contention. But even if they are right, what have they got to lose? Because if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole strugg...