On the Media: March 5th

a.what did I learn about the practice of journalism and or expectations of journalists as described in the ten elements of journalism? 
I learned that an expectation as a journalist is to abide by the wishes of the government as a media person both in our country and other countries. So, as a journalist I need to know the local, and national laws of where I live and plan to do my work, and if I am to do work else where, such as over seas, I need to know some of the basic laws I need to follow as a journalist. Also, I need to have an independence from those I cover, so if someone is paying me to write a positive article (like in the podcast about a movie), that is definitely breaking that element.


b.what did I learn about the ethics of journalism or an ethical challenge faced by a journalist?
The podcast had two ethical challenges journalists would have to face. The first ethical challenge would be should I report about a terrorist event because the public needs to be informed of it, or should I follow the laws of the country it took place in and not cover it because it is against the law. This is a tough ethical question but it seemed as mentioned in the podcast that most journalists would still cover the event. The other ethical topic brought up in the podcast was writing a positive review of a movie because you knew that the movie was going to pay you. I think the answer to this is, don't work for a newspaper or magazine if you know that this type of unethical behavior goes on.




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 that I should have independence from those I cover because than I won't have to worry about being biased or having others accuse me of being unfair. Another thing I learned is that I should strive to work for companies that are ethical and honest and strive to write stories that are ethical and honest. Another thing I learned is that when interviewing it is good to play the devil's advocate and ask questions that the interviewee might not agree with to get different points of view and answers for my piece.