I READ in a post from my newspaper editor-in-chief that some newbies, who I feel may be students, went to his office to have a letter received requesting to do an interview and obtain information as part of their requirements in school. They came in dressed inappropriately to the dismay of my EIC. The EIC was, of course, offended and saddened by what happened. This to me is a case of fashion, and not passion, to learn and write.
"Manners maketh man" ~ Harry Hart
This incident reminded me of an experience several years back. I was then visited by an OJT for another interview on small-scale mining. During the meeting with the young lady, I noticed that she was looking a bit haggard and had some red marks on her neck. It looked to me like hickeys although I did not call her attention to them anymore. What struck me most during the interview was the way she was asking questions and the way she addressed me. I felt so disrespected by her approach and even with the way she was doing the interview ("feeling close and bossy ang peg"). She did not even know the topic she was asking me about. I politely requested her to go back to her "mentor" and obtain the right information before coming back to do the re-interview. "I just feel like you should be able to have a respectful work environment, because if you do, you'll be your best self." ~ Peggy Johnson
Lately, I was interviewed by a local radio reporter on the status of a large-scale mining operation. We had a very interactive and candid discussion with the lady reporter and she even recorded the conversation. Very recently, a news article came out and was posted on FB citing me as the source of the information and even quoting some of my alleged statements. Unfortunately, the article was written in a manner whereby the quoted statements were actually not what I said. I called the reporter after reading the article and inquired why she wrote an inaccurate piece. She confessed that she did not write the article. She relayed that her colleague took her recording without her knowledge, listened to the recording, wrote the article without telling her, and submitted the missive for publication. The submission was published. Now the damage has been done. "Language can be very adept at hiding the truth." ~ Dan Brown
Journalism ethics and standards comprise principles of ethics and of good practice as applicable to the specific challenges faced by journalists. This subset of media ethics is widely known to journalists as their professional "code of ethics" or the "canons of journalism."
"There can be no higher law in journalism than to tell the truth and to shame the devil." ~ Walter Lippmann
"Journalism allows its readers to witness history; fiction gives its readers an opportunity to live it." ~ John Hersey
"The media does play a vital role in our democracy, and if we cannot depend on journalistic ethics, the nation's in trouble." ~ Dave Brat