On the Media:February 19th

a.what did I learn about the practice of journalism and or expectations of journalists as described in the ten elements of journalism?
From this week's podcast I learned what negative effects can be caused if journalism is not an independent monitor of power.  In Iceland it is illegal to report on the activities of the Banks.  Because of this, Banks were using risky and unethical economic practices.  The media could not report on this due to fear of lawsuits.  The consequence?  During the economic meltdown of 2008-2009, the Icelandic economy utterly collapsed due to the economically unhealthy Banking practices in Iceland.  Ultimately, because it was illegal to report about these practices, the media could not act as an independent monitor of power by informing the population, and the economy crashed.  The Laws are now being changed so that journalists will not have to fear lawsuits or negative reactions from the government.


b.what did I learn about the ethics of journalism or an ethical challenge faced by a journalist?
An ethical challenge faced by journalists is that they have to deal with weather or not to fully disclose peoples background or  motives in interviews or in seeking  "expert" analysis.  On example in the podcast was someone represented as a politician lobbying for Obama's new green energy policy to include more nuclear energy, giving his expert analysis on TV.  What was not disclosed is that he was paid by the nuclear energy company he worked for to publicly lobby his position.  Is this not a conflict of interest?  This case is not one isolated case either.  A journalist on the podcast discovered over 70 such people who regularly appear on TV lobbying their cases without disclosing their motives.


c.how can I apply what I learned from my chosen source this week to improve coverage of my beat or my future work in journalism?
I can apply  what I have learned during this weeks podcast to improve coverage of my beat or future work in journalism by fully disclosing the backgrounds and motives of those who I interview so as not to deceive the readers.  I can also be an avid supporter of public policies and laws that allow freedom of the press and other journalistic freedoms that create checks and balances of power so that what happened in Iceland will not repeat itself in the future in the United States or in whatever country I live in in the future.  This means being actively involved in current political issues so that I am well informed when I go to the polls and vote.