LAW, ETHICS, & NEWS LITERACY
LAWFUL & ETHICAL
JOURNALISM
The Rules Are
(Not So) Simple
As a son of a judge, I have been educated about the rules and regulations of the world I live in and how the process works. I always excelled in Government class when it came to the branches of government and how specifically the judicial system worked. Even with all of the prior knowledge, when I became a journalist I did not properly research the rules and regulations of being a newsman and I learned a lot from that mistake.
I learned how to credit artists, use royalty free music, and why my writing, reporting, and broadcasting must be factual. These are specific examples, but when boiled down, I am continually learning how to be a law-abiding, ethical journalist, but my mistakes have made me aware of my need for this growth.​
AS A JOURNALIST I MUST BE...
01.
Truthful & Accurate
02.
Independent
03.
Fair
04.
Transparent
05.
Accountable
News Literacy
The ability to use critical thinking skills to determine the reliability and credibility of sources is so important in the society that we live in today. In a culture that is overrun by social media, Artificial Intelligence, and the constant demeaning of others, it is hard to know what is right and what is even slightly adjusted to become false. Understanding what is going on in the world and what is occurring in my local community is vital for effective reporting while also being conscious of my audience's needs.
FACT?
How I Handle The Largest Issues Facing Credibility Today
01
Artificial Intelligenece
I am not afraid of AI, but I do realize the impact it is having on the common consumer today. The issue is that people believe sites like ChatGPT will provide them with accurate, well-researched information and that is simply incorrect. While AI systems like GPT will provide basic information that might be accurate, when it comes to details there are so many issues. The reason I know this is because I tested the system, asking questions that were detailed. From who won awards to what college certain players went to, it failed almost all. The most unfortunate part of the entire experiment is how ChatGPT responded, presenting answers that appeared to be factually backed, but where completely wrong. I will use AI as a basic foundation to where my research will take me, but I do not trust anything that appears to be factually-backed from AI. I do my own research.
02
Social Media
In a world where click-bait run rampant it is difficult to decipher between accurate and false information on social media. Pages run by seemingly authentic and well-meaning people are exposed as false news sources. The Wall Street Journal found during the election of 2024 that actors and pages flooded TikTok with false information to attack both political parties, with an emphasis on the Republican nominee Donald Trump. This example further solidified my confidence in finding, checking, and double-checking all of my sources. Social Media is the mainstream media source in today's society, but that doesn't mean the facts are mainstream as well.
03
Rapid News Cycles
The news industry as it stands has one thing on their mind, and it's not factual reporting. The importance of speed and 'being the first' has been at the forefront of journalism for decades, but the sacrifice of factual sources has proved to degrade the media industry as a whole. I think back to the movie, The President's Men, and how those journalists stumbled upon a story and could have published their findings every time they discovered something, but they researched and interviewed into the early hours of the morning, becoming completely confident that their sources and information where factually-backed. This is what I aspire to achieve in my journalism. I want to be a credible source that doesn't sacrifice the truth for an expediated process.