Mayhill debate continued

In class, we talked a lot about Mayhill's actions and whether she was ethical in her decision. Each person in class has a different view and when it comes to ethics in journalism the standards are different for everyone.

The debate here is journalists versus politicians. Politicians are in the public eye and have different rights and responsibilities than other citizens. However, to me the same goes for journalists. We have different expectations and responsiblities when approaching our job. We have the expectation to be honest about our position when interviewing but we also have the responsibiity to report on breaking news that the public needs to know about.

Did Clinton's comments qualify as public need-to-know information? Most people might say yes but I really don't think Clinton's personal opinion about a journalists really matters to his wife's election. It goes back to the relationship Clinton had with Monica Lewinsky during his presidency. Was it relevant to his career? No. What is a bad choice? Yes. I feel that is none of our business and not relevant to who he is as a politician but I know there are people who will disagree with me on that.

We also talked in class about being transparent. As journalists, we still have an opinion and sometimes even an agenda. I agree that there is nothing wrong with being upfront and honest with your readers about your intentions for writing a story or adding in your personal bias. It is important to be transparent but I feel that also applies to our actions when getting a story. We need to upfront and honest with our sources about what we are doing and above all else at least tell them that we are a journalist.

This is a touchy topic and I know not a lot of people may agree with me. I just think we should follow the SPJ code of ethics and Mayhill should have as well.

"Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information expect when traditional open methods will not yeild information vital to the public. Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story."