Quote of the Week

"In journalism, there has always been a tension between getting it first and getting it right."-Ellen Goodman

This week during my capstone class, we started an ethical discussion about the growing world of social media. The ability to get or post information with the click of a mouse or the push of a button on a mobile device has changed the communication pace of the world today. Newsmakers/sharers need to be on their toes, constantly fact-checking and verifying updates that come from blogs or twitter accounts. Posting something found from an online source onto a news site or onto one's own personal RSS feed, can become extremely detrimental if the decision was made too quickly without investigation.

I believe one must have an established verification process and ethical code firmly established before jumping head first into personal or news-based social media communication. News outlets need to make sure all of their staff and contributors are on the same page when it comes to the particular outlet's philosophy on what is newsworthy and what is not. Journalists entering their own free-lance adventures or those entering a new job need a personal ethical code that can be referenced as they grow in their career. Social media, chats, updates, blogs, tweets, mobile messaging, online posts and web content encompass and engulf the media world today. Don't get lost. Don't get tricked. Don't get trampled. Don't lose sight of basic human dignity and respect for the audiences that we serve as multimedia journalists. Everyone is seeing, listening, reading and commenting-are you ready and rooted in your beliefs?