On the Media: March 19

a.what did I learn about the practice of journalism and or expectations of journalists as described in the ten elements of journalism?

Plagiarism is a major sin in journalism. Journalist are known to declare to people the importance of not plagiarizing and that they won't plagiarize, so we should uphold to that and not plagiarize.
One thing about plagiarism that people forget is that if you plagiarize you don't know if the information you are lifting is the truth or not, which helps prove the claim that there is no line between fabrication and plagiarism, they are the same. The best journalism is reproduceable, given similar tools and sources, you can come up with a similar story, so there is no point to copying other's work. Don't make excuses for bad behavior and mistakes like plagiarism.

b.what did I learn about the ethics of journalism or an ethical challenge faced by a journalist?

Know the rules and rights of your state on things like what is ok to write about or what is considered private information such as privacy laws on things like 911 calls. Don't write about private things like this, it is not ethical. Accidental plagiarism is just as bad as intentional plagiarism because it is still plagiarism!  It would be a shame if you forgot to paraphrase or quote something and it went into print when it could have been caught, so always proof read your stories multiple times so you never have to worry about accidental plagiarism and don’t count on someone else to find your mistakes.

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 learned this week to my beat or future work by knowing the laws of where I live so I don't get in trouble or hurt someone else because I don't know the laws. I can also apply what I learned about plagiarism. I sometimes forget that plagiarism can happen on accident on occasion if you are not careful. So, now I will pay more attention to proof read and check my work before I turn it in to make sure all quotes and credit is given where it is due. I’ve also learned that it might be wise to look into ways to check stories for plagiarism with software or sites on the web and that I shouldn’t ever be offended if someone wants to check my work for plagiarism.