Our Virtual Classroom: Journalism Ethics During A Global Pandemic.
Voices of University of Arkansas Students Spread Across the Nation
April 30, 2020
Question of the Day:
For today’s poll, on polleverywhere.com, we will circle back to what we talked about during our very first class in January, which probably seems very long ago to most of us. You were told that course was about identifying the reasons why the media ought to be ethical, understanding the standards that have been set for media performance, and critiquing media performance against these reasons and standards.
I have asked you to consider the media’s performance in a number of areas. Our final poll question replicates the broader query that Gallup has asked the general population for a number of years running.
So here’s the question, which obviously includes your assessment of the performance of journalists during the pandemic. I would rate the honesty and ethical standards of journalists as:
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I would rate the overall ethical standards as average. I have seen journalists and companies that hold reporters to very high standards, but I feel there are also many who do not hold up the ethical bar. With the advent of digital technology and the ever-blurring line of who is a “real” journalist it is very hard to determine what the overall ethical state of journalism is. I think what you are doing, starting the conversation with the next wave of journalists, is incredibly important. Discussing situations and where ethical lines should be before being confronted with the situation will help journalists make a more well thought out and hopefully better decisions.
Courtney Sakmar
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I said this in the beginning of the semester and I still stand by my statement; I believe that journalists and news organizations do a great job of presenting information and stories ethically. The standards are very high for journalists, even in the age of fake news and digital journalism, and even though there isn’t a bar exam or a certification process, I believe that journalism is an often thankless job that is so incredibly important to society.
Katie Beth Nichols
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I think that the honesty and ethical standards of journalists are very high because from what I have seen on the news, journalists are careful when selecting photos to air and publish because of how impactful this pandemic is. I think they are being very respectful and sensitive to everyone who is being affected by this virus, while also being accurate and informative. I think that journalists are doing a wonderful job of upholding the code of ethics during this unprecedented time.
Mary Fracchia
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