Value Systems

It is always difficult to deal with people who have different views or different ways of handling things than your own. However, as we discussed during our last class you have to be true to your own values as well as being respectful to the values of others. This balancing act can be quiet a challenge, but I do feel it is very important to research the place you will be working, if possible, just to see what the company stands for and to check to see if these values are in line with your own. Of course you can make compromises, but I think that bending over backward too far would jeopardize your truthfulness to yourself and make for a miserable job experience. Never be afraid to let people know where you stand and never be afraid to take a stand. In the summer I generally do internships. This summer is my biggest internship yet and I am looking forward to the experience, however I am going to do some serious investigating before I start. My worst fear is getting stuck someplace where I cannot express myself. I want to have the perfect internship opportunity while making sure that I am sticking true to my values. I know that no matter what I do I have to be sure that I keep my values but also remain accepting of the value systems of others.

Compassion

If there is any one thing I can say that I am definitely not lacking, then it is compassion. I feel so much compassion that it makes it hard for me to report on things that have the potential to hurt others. I become very troubled when I have to make the decision between a good story and negatively impacting someone in some way. Sometimes I think that certain aspects of our media lack compassion and need to tighten discretion. Certainly some of the best stories and photos that draw a reader in are the ones that have the potential to do the most harm to others. Stories and photos that deal with death, assault, and a whole slew of other things that people might not want the world to know about or might not want to be reminded of. Of course some things have to be reported on, but I think more discretion should be used. I imagine it would be a hard thing to have a loved one injured or killed and then to see it splayed all over the front page of a newspaper with photos included. During the lesson on Monday one example of having compassion that I found interesting was when the reporter went to interview President Kennedy while he was having a naked pool party with a bunch of girls. Naturally this would seem to be an excellent news story that would stir a whole bunch of pots and sell alot of papers and get alot of people tuning into their media outlets. However, the reporter chose not to mention any of this because he felt that it would be best to let Kennedy’s personal life stay personal. The way I see it is, although he may have been doing something alot of Americans would snub their noses at, it was something that was a part of his personal life and had nothing to do with him as President. His actions were not affecting anything that had to do with his ability to govern the country. I think it is important to realize your own limits and to not compromise your conscience for a good story. Alot of things make great news, however, alot of them have the power to really hurt someone. A reporter should always stick to their guns and know when to stick to their story and when to let go. One thing that I learned at a very young age, that I use in all aspects of my life, is you should always imagine if you were in someone else’s place. If you were sexually assaulted would you want the media taking a whole bunch of pictures at you during a very raw time in your life? I think it is important to consider how you would feel if you were the subject of focus rather than the reporter.

Power

Every journalist has power. They have power to do good, yet they also have the power to harm others. It all comes down to how they decide to use those powers. In chapter nine Bugeja discusses molding your values to use those powers to make the right choices instead of making choices that will have negative consequences. However, sometimes people may be ignorant to how their action affect others. Sometimes we may do something to better ourselves and maybe even help others, but even the best laid plans can go awry and result in negative consequences. I think it is best to analyze each move you make and perhaps list the outcomes that it could have. Sometimes it is difficult to say exactly how something will turn out, but by assessing your actions along the journey you can filter out more negative things. For example this summer I had to write a story about an oil spill that occurred at a beach near my home. Things like this are upsetting to a coastal community and as a resident I feel for the community every time something harzardous to the environment occurs. And the media certainly had the power to go in and give people a skewed perception of the event by reporting about all of the horrible consequences of the spill. However, there are two and sometimes multiple sides to a story. It turns out that the tanker that spilled was being run ragged and although the crew of the ship had pleaded numerous times for maintenance, their requests had not been fulfilled. This however was their livelihood and a major complaint could cost them a job. If a journalist felt compelled they could go in and do some damage to the shipping company by only interviewing people who think the spill is the worst thing ever. Through research I came to find that although an oil spill is never a wonderful thing, in reality the spill was really not as bad as people made it out to be and could easily be cleaned. The coast guard said that had people that were able to come in and clean it up that same week. This is why it is always important to be fair to the parties involved in a story to keep from burning them and also to keep them from burning you if you write a skewed story. Bugeja goes over some useful guidelines for employees to explore and embrace. Guidelines that should help a journalist or a person in another profession to use their power for good. A couple of the guidelines for using power that I found to be especially important are: acknowledging your influence in the lives of others, know right from wrong, exercise fairness, use discretion and use restraint. It would have been easy for me to only report the side of the outraged beach community and how this could slap a negative label on this shipping company. In order to avoid overexercising power all possible sides and outcomes should be considering before delving into any story or job. A journalist’s story has the power to affect people’s views and sometimes even their lives.

Personal Bias

The other day I was asked to write a story about a sexual assault case that occurred on Mercer’s campus a few years ago. The case is just now making its way to the Georgia Supreme Court and has been hot topic in state news. I have not heard of many sexual assault cases happening on Mercer’s campus, or at least being reported and I was interested to read about it and find out what happened and the parties involved. After receiving an email with a story in it I was shocked to find that the person being accused of the assault is a very good friend of my brother and someone that I even went to school with. I was hit with many emotions, the first of which was that I could not believe some stupid girl was accusing such a great guy, that I have known my whole life, of something so horrible. I was certainly not going to write the story because of the obvious connection, but even if I was eligible to write the story I would be too outraged to do so. Before hearing about this case I would have to say that in general I feel great sympathy for women who suffer from sexual assault who have to sometimes struggle with the courts and law enforcement to obtain justice. However, this time I was seeing and feeling an entirely different way. This is a family friend who I was feeling had been wronged by a vindictive ex-girlfriend. I was upset with her and wanted to give her a piece of my mind. After having time to process the situation I realized that taking sides on the matter is a dangerous thing to do in reporting. Obviously I could not report on this particular case because I know a person involved, but even in cases where I do not know the people I could have a problem if I am so staunch about my views. I realized that although we all have our opinions and ideas about things, it is not up to us to decide. As an average human being or a reporter we can not say for certain that something is one way or the other based on our own belief system. All we can do is state the case and that facts behind it. As much as I hate to think someone I know would do such a horrible thing I have to have faith that the courts will figure out the truth, regardless of whether I like the truth or not. A reporter is not meant to show their views, they are only meant to show others information about a case and leave it at that. This is the first time I have ever really had to step away from a big story because of such strong personal biases.

In Vogue

The cover of the current issue of vogue, as it has just been brought to my attention, is being seen by some as very controversial. Upon first glance of this picture while perusing the aisles of the grocery store, I noted a pciture of an athlete and a supermodel, LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen. The picture was somewhat intriguing and upon furtuer inspection I noted that the article to accompany the cover was about body shape and how certain stars that they deem to be “fit” stay the way they are. I don’t normally buy these magazines, however, and I thought nothing more of it. On Monday during the presentation of the chapter on fairness, the cover was shown once again only a negative light was cast on it and it was brought to my attention that some people see it as being unfair. I guess if I look at the cover hard enough then I can find plenty of things that might be wrong. For instance the primal yell that LeBron James looks like he is releasing and the frail model that Gisele is. Sure I guess it can be seen as being anti-feminist since the threatening looking male seems to be overpowering the frail female. I can also see how racial stereotyping can be picked out of this cover. However, I never saw these things until they were brought to my attention. Vogue is a magazine that is renowned for fashion and for its fashion and beauty advice. Only those interested in these things would probably buy the magazine. The magazine definitely caters to this audience and this image. Unlike a newspaper which has to remain as unbiased as possible since it is speaking to the masses. I think special interest magazines have more leeway, since they cater to special interest groups. If this picture was in a newspaper accomapnying an article I can see how more people might be offended. However, this brings me to an entirely different matter. Society as a whole seems to be overly sensitive and whiny. I think most people tend to blow things way out proportion and over analyze things. I seriously doubt that when LeBron and Gisele were taking the picture the photographer was telling her to look white and like a frail helpless housewife. Just as I doubt that they were telling LeBron to look like a black menacing man taking charge of his woman. Other friendly pictures of the two that are featured on the website suggest otherwise. I think they were probably just having fun and being themselves, a basketball player and a model. No one is forcing anyone to buy the magazine or buy into the pictures. This picture is simply the vogue staff’s idea of fit bodies.

Stereotyping

Today’s class disscussion was more powerful than I think Shari and I both had initially planned. We had hoped to spark some enlightening conversation by asking others the stereotyping they had faced and their thoughts on it. I was surprise to hear some of the answers and shocked that other people are so rude–regardless of whether or not it is intentional. Some of the stereotypes that our classmates have to deal with are shocking and can be hurtful to the victim of the stereotyping. Not only do they damage your spirit but they can cast a negative light for others to see. If a negative stereotype keeps circulating about a person then eventually it can turn into a rumor or people can start perceiving it to be true. This causes people to make assumptions that are simply not so. It made me upset that some of my classmates were being stereotyped in ways that could definitely impact their spirit and their reputation. Naturally some people are cruel and want to have something to talk about, but I also beleive that some people are unaware of the impact they are making by shining this damaging light on someone else. All it takes is one little comment and a stereotype can spiral out of control. As long as people like to gossip and make assumptions I think it will be difficult to completely eradicate these negative images. However, for those of us out there that are genuinely compassionate I think we can take a lesson from this. If you do not understand something about someone you should ask. It it better to ask than just assume that someone is a certain way. Same goes for the media. One insensitive commment can pack a powerful punch. However, if the time is taken to make sure that the topic or image being discussed is understood then the reporter is taking the time to be more compassionate. My best friend is Jewish and from a completely different culture and before her I did not know many people who were Jewish or from Russia. Throughout our friendship I have wondered many things about her religion and culture and asked her about many of the stereotypes that are thrust upon her as a result of background. When her family came to America from Russia she was shunned because she was not like the other children and she spoke a different language. It took her many years but she eventually made friends and is one of the coolest people I know. Just because some kids started talking about her differences in a negative light she was shunned by everyone at her school. I think it is sad that no one took the time to get to know her, becuase they probably would have had a really great friend. But then again if people are going to be insensitive then it speaks poorly on their part and not the victims of stereotyping. Think before you speak and always be sensitive to the differences of other people. And as Bugeja says “Never be afraid to make apologies.”

Letting Fibs Slip Out- Falsehood

The lesson on Falsehood made me think about how it is often easy to tell a little lie to spice up a story or to make yourself appear in a certain light. From time to time I think people get carried away and tell little white lies. I don’t think these lies are meant to hurt and perhaps sometimes the person telling the little fib might not even be aware that they are exaggerating or that it is wrong. Sometimes a journalist could get sucked into a little fabrication or exaggeration if they are somewhat biased to a story. If I am an animal rights advocate and I am writing about euthanasia then I might exaggerate to make euthanasia seem like a really horrible thing, even though the facts or sources might not indicate this. My own personal bias might get in the way. However, I think in public interviews and conversation with others sometimes people get carried away in the moment. When we viewed the video of Hillary Clinton exaggerating her arrival in Bosnia, she clearly was exaggerating the truth. Although she claimed she arrived under gunfire, a video portrays a calm and smiling Clinton being welcomed instead of running for cover. I do not think Clinton went up to the podium intending to fabricate a lie, but I think she got caught up in the moment and let something slip that did not actually happen. However, she is a public official so perhaps she should be more guarded in her speech and the things that she says in public. But she is human and every now and then we all fabricate things to make ourselves seem better or to spice up a bland story, often without really noticing. Whether we are trying to impress a guy or telling a story to our friends we are human and we sometimes let little fibs slip out. To remedy this problem in journalism I think it is important to attempt to keep any opinion and emotion out of a story. Also, it would be wise to get another person to edit the paper looking for possibel biases. It is imporatant to try to be as truthful as possible and realize we are human and need to guard for the little falsehoods that might slip in.

Temptation- the power of saying “no”

I have always had a hard time saying “no” to people. If someone asks me for help or for a favor then I always want to come to the rescue.  Of course I can say it, but then I feel extreme guilt or like I am a bad person. It has taken me a long time to come to terms with the fact that I cannot please everyone and that I need to think about myself some. I found it especially hard to say no when I was doing my internship this past summer. Any time I was asked to do a story or run somewhere, I did it with no questions asked. On day one of my internship the executive editor of the paper went of do’s and don’ts for the job. High on the list and something she stressed a great deal was not to let people you are doing a story on buy you things or give you stuff. Often when conducting an interview I was offered a free meal or some product. It was difficult saying no because many of the people took it as an insult. This having to turn stuff down made me feel kinda bad because I felt like I was letting these people down or shunning their generosity. I was “tempted” to accept their offers. This got me thinking however, that instead of worrying about what other people will think or how they will perceive things I need to think about me. If I spend all my time worrying that someone might see me negatively for saying no then I am not being true to myself. It would be in my best interest and will probably even benefit me in my future career if I think about what I need to accomplish first and foremost and then take others into consdieration secondly. I am not saying to shun everyone or become completely selfish, but I think that if you worry about what other people think and cater to their needs then you could mess it up for yourself. If I took the free meals and stuff just because I was worried the person might be upset then I would be going against the rules of the company I was working for.  This same idea of being afraid to stand up and be true to yourself could also be applied to other areas. If I spent all my time doing what other people wanted me to do then I might not develop my own identity. For example, if I am asked to work on a story that I feel is morally wrong or I am uncomfortable with, but then I feel too afraid to say “no” I would be doing myself a disservice. It is good to take the values of others into consideration, but the only person you can control is you, so you should make sure you are comfortable and doing what is best.

Manipulation

It is easy to be manipulated. Every person has something that they feel strongly about that is going to cause them to be a little bit biased. Learning how to remedy that situation, however, is the most important task to master in these situations. The exercise we did in class regarding possible biases and how to remedy them in our reporting was a good exercise. For example my bias or belief that republican politicians are unfair and closed-minded. This could in fact be said of any politician, but my partiality to the democratic party has swayed my views. I think I have in some ways been manipulated by the democratic party. I agree with alot of their viewpoints, therefore I am much more likely to be critical of the republican supporters. This could certainly pose a problem for any political reporting I do, but could be remedied by talking to sources from the republican side, even if I may not agree, and attempting to understand or at least get their views and what they believe. I could also do as Cheyenne suggested and talk to someone I know who is a supporter of the republican side and get their thoughts and feeling on the matter and their side of the story. I think an openness to at least understand the ideas of others, even if you do not agree, is a huge leap and is vital to the sucess of an unbiased and informative story. Same goes for my favoritism to Chick-Fil-A. If I had to right about scandal at Chick-Fil-A I might be tempted to make it seem less important than if scandal hit McDonald’s. However, I can eliminate these potential biases by making sure that I don’t let any emotion or personal attachments slip in, in the first place. You should report only the facts and not try to lessen or strengthen the impact to sway the focus of the story. It is easy to be manipulated becasue everyday we are manipulated by television, ads, and other forms of media which tell us how we should look, act, think, dress, and what we should buy.  Although avoiding manipulation completely might seem a daunting task, we should not let out emotions get in the way in the first place.

Double-Edged Words

Today in one of my media classes my professor was talking about something that I thought fit right into the Bias chapter of Bugeja’s living ethics. My professor said that he has many friends who are homosexual. He said that his homosexual friends often make fun of him and other straight people by calling them “breeders”. Meaning that they are attracted to the opposite sex and therefore able to sucessfully breed. I thought this was funny and I could see why it made my professor laugh, since us “breeders” generally have words that use to refer to homosexuals. I thought it only fitting that they should have terms for us. After explaining this, my professor went on to say that one day in class he was joking with a friend, who happend to be homoseuxal and brought up the term. His friend was amused that he knew the term and they both laughed about it. However, an African American woman sitting next to him overheard the word and said that she found it offensive because this was a term used during the Civil War for a slave woman. Another woman inquired about the term and said that she found it offensive because it seemed to target women and that it was unfair since not all women decide to have children or want children. The woman stated that she thought this was unfairly labeling women as just being there for the purpose of reproduction. In this once instance something that was meant as a harmless joke between two friends had turned into a hurtful and negative things for others. I thought this was very interesting because chapter seven talks about this very sort of thing. Sometimes we have no idea that words that seem fairly harmless, may have negative connotations for others. It had not crossed my professor’s mind that his comment would hurt or offend anyone else.  However, we are all human and when something like this happens, Bugeja advises that we not be afraid to apologize. It is a good idea to try to avoid such scenarios, but when that is not possible, it is best to be willing to learn from the mistake and make sure the people injured know that it was a mistake.