4470 Blog 5: What I learned.

After taking this ethics course, I feel like I have a better grip on ethical theories. When taking journalism classes, there is always a little chapter on ethics and so I had some background on things like the PRSA Code of Ethics. I think this course taught me how to practically apply ethical theories to realistic situations. The theories suddenly meant more than some words on a page, and I got a better appreciation of that this semester. I didn’t know a whole lot about the ethical theories, and now I understand the different points of view and how one theory may say something is wrong, but another theory may say that it’s completely ethically correct.

It sounds weird, but I also learned how to collaborate with a group. Yeah, obviously I’ve worked with groups before, but this time it was all about cooperation and teamwork to get a good grade. It always takes some getting used to when forming a group and dealing with the different personalities that are coming together, but I think we did a pretty good job of completing our work and not getting on each other’s nerves.

Another important lesson I learned this semester is to trust my instincts and stand up for myself. If I feel something is being asked of me that is unethical, I should trust myself and not do it. Ethics is just as much about personal morals and values as it is about deontology and consequentialism. My personal views on an issue should not get in the way of how I do my job, but it should help me stand for what I feel is right or wrong. Some people have ethical values that they will not surrender under any circumstances; they are prepared to lose their jobs over this one issue.

Overall, this class was illuminating. I understand why they make us take it last, so that we can go out into the world caring about what is right and wrong and wanting to make sound ethical decisions. It seems to me to be pretty easy to stop caring about what is ethically right or wrong as time goes on. It’s very important to consider every action carefully and make a choice based on sound ethics and gut instincts. It seems like a self-evident thing but at the same time there are so many unethical things happening in journalism today. It makes you wonder how many people are actually retaining the information they learn in school.