Our Virtual Classroom: Journalism Ethics During A Global Pandemic.
Voices of University of Arkansas Students Spread Across the Nation
April 21, 2020
Question of the Day: For today’s poll, on polleverywhere.com, we will shift to assessing the quality of the “good news” that has been produced during the global pandemic.
There is a fuller discussion of this phenomenon in today’s virtual lecture. Once again, when I ask you to assess “good news,” I am referring to whatever media you are consuming on a regular basis. How much of it is journalism and how much of it fails to meet journalistic standards?
So please respond to the following question: As far as meeting ethics standards that demand truth-telling and minimizing harm, I would give the overall output of “good news” in the face of the global pandemic the following grade:
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I would give the overall output of “good news” in the face of the global pandemic to be A (excellent). I truly feel like media outlets are doing their best to relay the most effective and true information. I think this because the pandemic is so big and people need the right good news.
Mary Green
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There have been some stories that have focused on celebrities reaching out to the families of healthcare workers that could be classified as good or positive news. In days as dark as these the constant stream of reports of climbing deaths and extended lockdowns can be a constant stream of news that is hard for people to consume. I think this is why the news media tries to spin any data about slowing cases or potential vaccines as explicitly good news in an effort to serve as a counter-balance to the dire situations all around the world. I think the balance has been pretty good … good news that is still realistic and makes sure people know that a vaccine while in the works is still far away. Making sure the news that is positive doesn’t make people feel that they can stop taking precautions is important, but it is also important to keep up people’s hope.
Courtney Sakmar
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For today’s poll, I answered “good,” because I have seen some really great, uplifting local reporting about people who are doing what they can to make the best of this situation, particularly by helping others. I think these types of stories (features on people making masks for nurses, setting up makeshift food banks, etc.) are important to inject into the community’s news diet, because they are both heartwarming/relieving to read, and, newsworthy. Not all stories in a newspaper or on a news show need to be “hard news,” and that goes for any time, no matter what is happening in the world. Life does not stop because of a crisis. People do not just stop doing interesting and important things because they’re social distancing. While it is more important than ever for people to stay informed, it is also not mentally healthy for people to only see depressing and frightening stories. It can lead to feelings of helplessness and thoughts that there is no good left in the world and nothing hopeful to hold on to. As journalists, only delivering the “bad” news and none of the “good” news to readers and viewers would be unethical because it would not minimize harm, and it would also be a false/inadequate representation of the state of of the community/world (ie not seeking truth and reporting it on all fronts). Also, I personally think that it would just be lazy reporting.
Sarah Komar
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I responded (B) Good because I believe the media I’ve been consuming has been a lot more positive than negative. To be honest, most of the media I consume is from Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, so the majority of posts probably do not follow journalism guidelines. I feel that through these few platforms, I’m able to see interesting and positive ways families and organizations are spending their time. That usually includes helping others or growing closer with their own families, which everyone loves to see. When I watch the news, though, I do feel like it is more negative just because it seems to be centered around the government and decision-makers during this pandemic rather than the ones at home trying to make things better instead of just reporting the facts.
One thing I have been watching weekly that I would recommend you and anyone to watch is “Some Good News” on YouTube. It is hosted by John Krasinski with 4 episodes currently at about 10-15 minutes each. It is very family-friendly and will leave you with a smile for sure! I hope you enjoy it.
Tristan Winters
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I think that “good” news, although it’s difficult to call it that, is important now more than ever. Although some of the “good news” stories are more light hearted and possibly silly than normal news stories, it is clear that people are needing them now more than ever. I have also found that people, because they are staying home so much, are consuming way more news and media in general than normal, so a balance of “fun” and “serious” news is also very important in times such as these. Personally, I have really taken a liking to seeing these “good” news stories pop up on my various newsfeeds, especially ones that are specifically tailored to the coronavirus, like mask tutorials and bread recipes.
Katie Beth Nichols
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