Would I want that to happen to me?

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"In conversations with journalists, we asked how often the professional and ethical obligation to be fair came up in news staff meetings or in informal newsroom conversations. The answer, with few exceptions, was almost never. Several journalists said they recalled hearing caveats against bias during conversations about stories on minority groups or women or instructions to be 'balanced' in stories about controversial political races. Many recalled frequent warnings about libel and privacy laws, and regular questions from editors about whether they were sure they had something "right".

 But they could not recall any general newsroom conversations about fairness, nor could they recall ever having been asked by an editor if they were sure they were being fair to all parties in a story. Some journalists even reflected a sense of discomfort at the ideas of being asked to discuss fairness in a public forum. Such discussions, lef by the top editors, not only reinforced the newspaper's journalistic values but give everyone a clear roadmap of what is expected" (Haiman 60).

   Although I have never been in the news for a major story or something controversial, it makes me nervous knowing newspapers aren't really concerned with fairness. If I were to be in the news, I would want the story to be treated fairly. I think to keep fairness in mind, it would be a good idea if some reporters and editors would take a step back from their work and think "Would I want this to be done to me?"

There are some cases where even a "no" to this answer shouldn't stop a story, like when a reporter has found information out that needs to be made known to the public for safety or other reasons. However, in some cases reporters dig up information where there is no story or highlight information that damages a person's reputation when it isn't needed. Being unfair or biased in an article can also sway the audience's viewpoint of the situation, especially when the only information they receive on the topic is from a biased reporter.

Although a reporter may gain more information who have a better story by avoiding thinking about what is fair, I think fairness should still be an important topic between editors and reporters.


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