Lecture 8

In lecture 8 we discussed the ethics of Journalism. Some issues that aroused include discrimination, stereotypes and feminist advertising. There are three types of ethical theories; deontology, consequentialism and virtue. Deontology involves following rules and principals and simply doing the “right” thing. Consequentialism theory is getting a “good” or “right” outcome, despite how you get there or who you affect by doing so.  Virtue involves “goodness” coming from good habits of character such as courage and justice, which are developed over time and tempered by experience.  Deontology is clearly the most ethical theory, and something I gather many Journalists struggle to stand by. I believe that in a way, it is almost impossible for successful Journalists to be deontologists, but instead pretend they are and be very tactful in finding out information. The idea of simply putting aside ethics and potentially emotionally harming someone just to obtain a good news story worries me. I am one who thinks a lot, almost too much about how others feel and what they think of me, and this lecture really got me considering if the road of Journalism is the right path for me to persist. I think I am going to complete this year of study before considering altering courses.