Coming into college as a journalism major was very exciting for me. Not only would I be able to finally pursue my dream, but to study journalism at this moment in time is very exciting. Journalists are under scrutiny now more than ever with the current political landscape, and to be able to study modern-day journalism was something I really enjoyed. I have learned during my time here at URI that a journalist should be fair, impartial, and neutral above all else. That a journalist's first obligation should always be to the truth and I also learned how to make an ethical decision that takes into account every possible factor. 

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Now, in my time outside of the classroom I did not learn all that much in the way of ethics. I learned some of this in my introductory journalism classes, but it was not until my senior year where I took a head first dive into the topic. In my journalism law class, I was able to learn the technical aspects of what a journalist can and can not do. Learning what is actually legal and illegal for a journalist to do was very interesting and really looking into the first amendment was an enlightening experience. I thought I knew all of that, but I was surprised to see the full scope of it and the details I had never heard of.   

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My final journalism class was one of my favorites, Ethics of Journalism. This class is where I took all of my evidence from for this outcome. The law is black and white, but with ethics, it is a very gray and complicated area. I learned not only what is ethical for a journalist, but more importantly, how to make that ethical decision. Covering everything from the principles of journalism, philosophies to help make the ethical choice, and much more. I learned the methods of arriving at a decision and at times how difficult it can be to make the right choice.  

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The first piece of evidence is a case study I did on whether or not to name sexual violence victims. When writing that piece, I realized that media outlets have policies to help deal with these choices but there will always be a case that either you did not plan for or blurs the line of the policy. That was the case in this scenario, where the policy did not cover the situation. Probably the biggest thing I took away from this case was that there is no situation where competition should drive policy. Just because another news outlet is doing something a certain way does not justify another station to do the same. 

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The second piece of evidence is again, another case study. This study was about Baseball Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett who passed away. The tricky part about covering the death of a celebrity or prominent figure is what do you include in the initial report? Do you include the negative aspects of someone's life as soon as they pass away? This was a really interesting topic to learn about because there are so many different thoughts, but at the end of the day a journalist must report the truth and sometimes you have to include the negative aspects. I learned mostly in this piece that you have to consider your loyalties. Loyalties to the citizens, to yourself and to the profession. It is a lot to account for, but it is the best way to make the right decision.

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The last piece of evidence I included was an analysis of an article on how dangerous disinformation can be. In this piece I talk more about the big picture of journalism and how the media has seemingly lost the trust of the public over the years. I learned it is crucial that there is trust between the media and the citizens, especially when it comes to covering the government. Journalism can not operate and truly inform citizens if there is no trust.

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In my four years of journalism classes, especially my senior year, I was able to learn how to make a sound ethical decision taking into account both professional and personal ethics. I also learned how to arrive at such a decision and how to defend my position. In such a crucial time for journalists, it is important that journalists know how to be ethical and I believe I know how to do so.

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