Personal Code of Ethics

The typical answer for the question, "What is journalism?" includes statements about one's duty to seek and report truth, to be unbiased and honest, and to be a watchdog over the government. These are all important parts of journalism which I will address in a bit, but journalism to me is simple. It's all about storytelling! I started looking into the broadcast journalism major here at BYU because I love people, writing, and telling stories. It's been a perfect fit. Whether it is an investigative or a feature piece, there is always a story to be told. I love taking lots of details and cramming those that are most important into a minute and fifteen seconds. I love getting to the bottom of an issue and being able to express the essence of what's happening to a larger audience. It is fun to become a mini-expert on a lot of different things. I also really like to make things sound conversational by writing … and rewriting … and rewriting so that it ends up sounding like something you would tell your friends.

I have always had a passion for finding truth. From a young age I have had an appreciation for the importance of honesty and integrity instilled in me. Honesty in journalism is no different. In a class I had last Fall semester, Ruth Todd explained the importance of seeing the end from the beginning. What she meant is that you have to know where you ultimately want to end up, and keep that in mind as you go through life. You have to determine what is really important to you, and never let the heat of the "breaking news moment" affect your making decisions you know to be right. If you know you want to leave the world (or the profession) with no regrets, it is crucial to be honest in everything you do. Your sources will thank you, and your good name will remain untarnished.

Along with knowing the end from the beginning goes my definition of journalistic excellence. Having excellence in journalism means that a story was not just thrown together with little effort. When I think of having excellence in journalism, I think of having integrity. Integrity is an important concept to me. In math, the word “integer” means any whole number. Not a fraction. Not a decimal. We can take that meaning of integer and infer that to have integrity means to be “whole.” If a person has journalistic integrity, they know that there can be no shortcuts made. You cannot have integrity in some aspects of the job, and be dishonest in others. A journalist with excellence, therefore, is someone who knows their standard of ethics and sticks to it!

Journalism gains relevance when the stories are told with a purpose. Stories providing information which help people understand the world around them are sometimes more relevant than just spouting out facts of gloom and doom. If you must report on destruction, report it with a story behind it. Show how it effects every-day people. Show what is going to happen in the future. Audiences will be more inclined to watch relevant stories than a string of sensational stories. Another important part of storytelling is realizing that there is a fine line between reporters who try to be both journalist and celebrity. There has been a recent trend with reporters like Katie Couric and Anderson Cooper where journalists gain celebrity status. The danger lies in how they deal with the fame. If they use it to influence and persuade people, it may cause them to loose credibility as an unbiased reporter. Credibility is crucial as a journalist, and gaining celebrity status in exchange for credibility is not worth it.

The more a journalist is familiar with the intended audience, the more the messages can be tailored to that audience. The audience will then find those stories more relevant and important, and the communicator is more effective. I really liked the quote discussed in class that says, "Part of a journalist's responsibility, in other words, is not just providing information, but providing it in such a way that people will be inclined to listen" (The Elements of Journalism, 149).

Journalists have many purposes. I believe the two most important purposes are to inform and to be a watchdog. I talked above about how strongly I feel about the storytelling part of journalism. Journalists also have a responsibility to watch over the government and other institutions. Journalism has been called the fourth estate – a virtual fourth branch of government. I think this is an applicable title because just as the other three branches of government watch over each other, the media has the responsibility to watch over all three and keep them in check. If there is dishonesty or scandall that the general population needs to know about, it is our duty as members of the press to expose those wrongdoings. This watchdog role is important because it monitors power, it offers voice to the voiceless, it helps prosecution and finds crimes that may not otherwise have been discovered, and it helps prompt reform. In my career I hope to be able to bring light to difficult issues and to expose wrongdoings – but I will be careful in which stories I choose to cover. I will only cover those stories which are important for the general public to know about because I think otherwise, watchdog journalism can be simply a means to ruin a good name. I think the difference is the way one goes about finding these stories. If a journalist goes around looking for the bad things people do, they will inevitably find it. I do not think this is a good enough criteria to do an investigative piece. However, if the information is important and relevant to the public I think it should be exposed.

Another important aspect of good journalism is verification. It is essential that a journalist checks the facts, and then reveals where he got his information. In order to maintain credibility and honesty with an audience, it is best to reveal as much as you can about sources and methods used to get the story. Clarity in this sense can help the audience see why you did what you did and will lead them to trust you more as a journalist. As I mentioned earlier, credibility is essential in journalism! If the people do not believe you, there is very little purpose in your reporting. I think I have learned some valuable things in this class, including ways to go about dealing with a source who wishes to remain anonymous. I feel pretty confident in my ability to get people on the record, unless the story is a major piece about corruption in the government or another institution. I actually used some of these skills in my reporting this semester. I spoke with one woman who did not want to be on camera and I was able to convince her that she had a wonderful story to share, and that the public should hear what she has to say. This and other skills I have learned will help me in my profession as I strive to make verification a big part of my excellence in journalism.

There are many other important parts of good journalism, but I now want to simply focus on two things I will have as part of my personal code of ethics when I am in the field as a reporter. I want to be sensitive when dealing with tough stories, and I want to be completely honest in getting and reporting my stories.

First, I want to be sensitive about the things I cover. I realize that covering trauma and disasters is inevitable. The discussion we had last week in class was really helpful in preparing me to decide what to cover and what to omit from a story. I will only shoot video of things which I am sure will not offend the audience – and I will try to be sensitive to those who are suffering and/or mourning the loss of a loved one. If possible, I will interview them and ask open-ended questions about the life of the one they lost. I will not, however, be blunt and ask, “How do you feel?” or other insensitive questions. There are sensitive ways to go about things, and I will do my best to be understanding and not disrupt the greiving process or make it worse.

Second, I will be as honest as I can about where I get my information, why I decided to cover the stories I cover, and how it will affect my audience. I talked about verification, and I think that is a large part of journalistic honesty. I think the more honest I am, the more credible I will be. Jon Ebinger told us in his lecture that we should always be honest now, because the truth will come out sooner or later. I don’t ever want to have regrets in journalistm. I certainly don’t think it is worth it to be dishonest to get a story, because it will end up biting you later.

The things I have learned in this class will be very helpful as I make decisions as a journalist. I think the principles I’ve learned will especially help me in being more honest and sensitive as a journalist.

Jon Ebinger Lecture

I attended the Jon Ebinger lecture on Tuesday - and I thought the lecture and the Q&A were very interesting! His lecture was both informative and funny.

Many teachers in this major continue to tell us that TV news is not in danger in our tech-savvy society. But Ebinger came right out at the beginning and explained why the business is in trouble. I thought some of the statistics he threw out were particularly interesting - namely, that the nightly news viewership has decreased by 50% in the last 20 years. And also that the average age of viewers is 60 years old. I know we have talked about demographics and viewership - but these are numbers I had not heard before.

One thing I took away from the lecture is an emphasis on how important it is as an aspiring journalist to show that I am capable of being involved with the new media that will reach the targeted audiences. I know we have talked many times in our 239 class about the importance of blogging and of being "with-it" as far as technology goes - but I hadn't thought of it in this light. According to what Ebinger said, it's important to keep a blog because it shows that you are capable of doing what's needed to reach the audience the employer wants to reach.

Another interesting part of the discussion was when Ebinger emphasized that "Credibility really matters!" Of course we all say we want to be honest, unbiased journalists, but in the real world I think there will be pressures and biases all around. He said it is important to be honest right up front and at the first opportunity to do so. He noted that if something is going to get out - get it out right now rather than later. Don't hide things - and encourage the people I interview to do the same.

Ebinger said of citizen journalism that it is maybe not the best advancement because that is what we're supposed to do as journalists! We are trained in the ethics and principles of journalism, and why would we want other people who are not trained to be doing our job? It's a growing trend, and I think I'm going to go look what the Knight Foundation has to say about citizen journalism, because he said they had more information. I think I want to spend time to learn about new trends of journalism so that I can be able to understand them more clearly and deal with them accordingly.

The last thing I took away from the lecture was that people are not apathetic to the news! Although the numbers say viewership/readership are declining, people are still accessing the information - wanting to know what is going on in the world around them. Ebinger said people like Jon Stewart wouldn't be nearly as popular if the audience didn't know what they were talking/joking about. I hadn't really thought of that before, but it is true that talk show hosts, comedians, etc. use material from current events all the time. People are going to be surrounded by technology no matter what happens in the future, but news will always remain important.

Engagement and Relevance

For our final discussion on the principles of journalism, we talked about engagement and relevance in journalism. This includes how engaged the journalist is with the audience and how relevant the information is to those who view/read it.

I really like the quote on the handout that says "News is not just data... it's story telling."

There are many ways to make a story engaging and relevant. Some of the ones we discussed in class are:

1. Profile - focus on a particular person/event to tell the story in a more unique way
2. Explanatory piece - tell the why/how of the story
3. Issues and trend stories - is there a larger story to explore? Tell about the big picture
4. Investigative - look into wrongdoings of the government/agency
5. Narrative - tell a story! Include the character, scenes, tension, etc.
6. Descriptive day in the life - Focus on a particular moment, tell all the juicy details
7. Voices or perspective story - have people tell the story in a unique way from their point of view
8. Visual story - use pictures! They are many times more powerful than words

Journalism becomes relevant to the audience when stories are told with a purpose. The stories that provide information to help people understand the world around them are more relevant than simply putting out the facts of gloom and doom that is happening. If a story is relevant to the audience, it will attract more viewership than sensational stories. It is also important to note here that there is a fine line with some journalists who have a split persona between journalist and celebrity. They have to be careful with what they do because any wrong turn or an emphasis too heavy on celebrity could cause them to lose credibility ... and credibility is crucial to a journalist! We talked in class about how there is a fine line between being credible and producing infotainment. One recent, local example of this is found HERE - channel 4's story about how Demi Moore claims the rumors of her getting cosmetic surgery are hurting her feelings. WHO CARES!(Demi Moore hurt by rumors of cosmetic surgery)

As far as making the stories engaging, we talked in class about how it is similar to becoming engaged to be married. The steps are very similar! For instance, you need to find the audience, get to know them well, and have good communication just as you would with a girl/boy. I like this analogy because it shows the importance of being in tune with those you communicate to. The more you know your target audience, the more you can gear your messages toward them and they will be appropriate and relevant if you are in touch with them.

I also really liked the quote at the top of the handout that says, "Part of a journalist's responsibility, in other words, is not just providing information, but providing it in such a way that people will be inclined to listen" (The Elements of Journalism, 149).

One reason for the importance of engaging the audience is so that you can send out messages fitting to the audience, as mentioned above. But another reason why it is so important is because as you engage the audience, you gain valuable feedback, and you can tailor your communications even more.

As we talked about with other presentations, it is important when engaging an audience that you adhere strictly to the journalistic values you find most important. I think the values will be different for each individual journalist. But, for instance, if you decide you have a "line" you won't cross when becoming involved with a story, then do not cross it! Stay consistent and honest with your adherence to what you believe constitutes solid journalism.

Comprehensive and Proportional Journalism

For the final discussion in our class about principles of journalism, we discussed what makes up comprehensive and proportional journalism. There were many parts to this discussion, including how we decide what to cover, the limits and benefits of marketing, and the pressure people have to sensationalize the news.

COVERAGE
The stories we decide to cover are influenced by how easy the story is to get, the economics that drive the media, and elitism - which strives to cover stories of interest to people who are important or educated.
--Ease--
If stories are covered based on ease, a reporter may choose to cover a story based on thinking "I cover what I see/what I know to be true/what my friends tell me, etc."
--Economics--
If stories are covered based on the economic benefit - a reporter chooses a story based on thinking "I cover stories that people want to read/stories that will sell, etc."
--Elitism--
If stories are covered based on the elitism principle, a reporter chooses the story based on thinking "I cover what educated people care about/what important people care about, etc."

An important part of discussing what we decide to cover includes the concern to not alienate demographics. Sometimes when vocabulary is too confusing, the media comes to lack conversationality. It is important to make sure the media we create is accessible to people of all education levels. Also, another way we can alienate demographics is by focusing on too narrow of an audience or topic. I think that this is important to understand, but I do not think that it is always a bad thing. If you are a local news show, you should have a focus on local issues - but you should also give the wide scope of things too. However, if your show is a morning business talk show, there is no reason to try extra hard to include stories about the local zoo. I think that in the case of a specialized show/audience it is okay to alienate demographics because the audience knows what you are producing may or may not be of interest to them.

MARKETING

We talked about the different types of market research and how it can be improved. We talked about how surveys are not the best way to do research because they "Already have defined for people what the range of choices will be, so they are not telling you what they like" (Lee Ann Brady). Also with surveys, it is hard to measure how the audience responds to stories because they are often answering questions that are not open-ended.

Another type of market research are focus groups. Focus groups are probably the best form of media research. Their downfall is that they are not very scientific - the discussion varies every time. However, focus groups can give a researcher a closer look into the mind of the consumer as they discuss thoughts about the media.

When doing market research, it's important to find out about the audience, their interests, their needs - rather than just what news they will want. It is more effective to know how to reach the audience and give them what they need than what a survey may say they want to hear. I like the quote shared in class, "If journalism has lost its way, the reason in large part is that it has lost meaning in people's lives."

SENSATIONALISM

"Human emotion is at the heart of what makes something news. Once you try to manufacture it, or use it to bring attention to yourself, you have crossed the line into something there already is enough of -- reality entertainment" (Elements).

I love the above quote that was shared in class. I think it is a powerful statement that emotion is a large part of what we do, but that it should not be the means to making our stories interesting. Emotion in a story should just come by itself - and if we make more of the emotion than there is we can quickly become less credible.

It's important to note that news is subjective. Something that is a big story to some may not be a big deal at all to others. This was evident in our class discussion as people shared what they thought was a big deal and what was merely entertainment.

CLICK HERE to see the plethora! of stories surrounding Michael Jackson's death. The good thing about using sensationalism is that it sells! The bad thing is that it is not proportional journalism. A reporter has to be careful that what they are covering is actually news, and not just "reality entertainment."

Another part of sensationalism and emotion is that people tend to want emotional stories - and not emotional journalists. This ties in to the discussion we have had many times throughout the semester about how involved a journalist should be with his/her story. CLICK HERE to see a story with which some think the journalist, Anderson Cooper, became too involved. I believe that a journalist should care about the story - but he should be wary of how involved he is with the story, and make sure that the involvement does not skew the reporting of the actual facts.