When I graduated from the University of South Carolina in the spring, I wore a garnet and black honor cord that stood for “graduating with leadership distinction,” in my specific concentration, “professional and civic engagement.” Only a small percentage of the student body receives this honor. One segment of this distinction was an authored ePortfolio highlighting three key insights from my time at the university and one idea I have to become a leader in my field. Below, you can find my ePortfolio, or you can read it on its original site.
ABOUT ME
In college, people identify themselves three ways: name, year and major. My name is Rachyl Jones, and I am a senior at the University of South Carolina (UofSC). I call myself a “journalism student,” although I am not a journalism major. I used to introduce myself as an “English major,” and while this was true, I didn’t feel like it described what I was learning and what I wanted to do with my life.
My claim as a “journalism student” comes from integrated learning – the combination of my college experiences – including my English major with a writing concentration, a minor in public relations and advertising, a minor in media arts, my Advanced Master of Mass Communications program, a marketing internship, journalism internship and part-time journalism job. Integrated learning has played an important part of my college education because my experience isn’t summed up by calling myself an “English major,” like it might be for other students. Instead, people get a better image of me through my description as a “journalism student,” a product of my carefully curated learning experiences.
I was able to challenge myself academically because high school AP credit set me graduating in three years, but I was in absolutely no rush. I fell in love with the college culture – the campus, the people, the learning environment. By extending my education to the average four years, I was able to participate in additional degree programs, take classes in what most interested me and in what I knew I could benefit from. This story encompasses the first thing you need to know about me: I love learning.
I am a very different person today than I was when I entered college. In high school, I was the stock definition of a follower. I copied fashion trends, hobbies, even handwriting. I wasn’t valedictorian, team captain, on student council or president of any club. I was an involved student, but I lacked the confidence to be a leader. My freshman year of college, I stumbled into a leadership position by chance. My “big sister” in the sorority, who acts like a mentor, was going abroad and she needed someone to fill her position as Circle of Sisterhood chairman, our sorority’s representative in the philanthropy that all Panhellenic sororities contribute to. No one wanted her position, so as her “little,” she asked me to take it. This consisted of attending meetings, planning events and relaying information to my chapter. The first time I spoke at a chapter meeting, my voice shook so badly that no one could understand me. As the semester continued, I gained more confidence in my ability to lead, and I found out that I actually liked it. At the end of my freshman year, I remember thinking, “I could be president.” One year later, I was. The person who stuttered through their first chapter announcement was then leading those meetings weekly. This brings me to the next thing you should know about me: I am always looking to become a better version of myself.
If I had to describe my college experience in one word, it’d be “busy.” Over my four years at UofSC, I’ve had internships with Raleigh Magazine and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBiotech). I’ve been registrar and president of Kappa Kappa Gamma, event chairman for Circle of Sisterhood and public relations chairman for Order of Omega. I’ve held jobs at Pro 3:5 Sports Academy and NCBiotech, as well as operated an Etsy shop and personal blog. I was an accountability board member for College Panhellenic Association and an IGNITE committee member for Dance Marathon. I was a Capstone Scholar, attended three professional development conferences and studied abroad in Rome. I’ve been given a writing award, a video award and three scholarships. None of this was necessary for my degree, but I found myself passionate about so many organizations. Also, I’m graduating Summa Cum Laude, reflecting my passion for learning. UofSC has given me a world of experiences, which is why I turned to Graduation with Leadership Distinction (GLD), specifically the Professional and Civic Engagement Pathway.
Through my GLD e-portfolio, I’d like to share three key insights I’ve formed from my time in college. Each key insight will have a different focus, tying in my within-the-classroom experiences with my beyond-the-classroom ones, and connecting them to my view of professional and civic engagement. I’d like to show how my key insights have set my goals for the future. I plan to attend graduate school to receive a master’s degree in journalism, which I feel readily prepared for due to my time at UofSC. Lastly, I’d like to share a leadership page, where I plan to apply my learning to solve real-world problems, specifically in the journalism industry. As a whole, this e-portfolio encompasses what I’ve learned, how I’ve grown and how I plan to continue this growth in the future. Thank you for taking the time to read my e-portfolio!
KEY INSIGHT 1: CULTURAL COMPETENCE
I’ve always been interested in different cultures and lifestyles, but before college, I had minimal interactions with people who were different than me. I had traveled with my family and participated in a mission trip, but my immediate and daily interactions were with predominantly cisgender, white classmates from the upper-middle-class at my private, Catholic high school. I was comfortable in the bubble and echo chamber in which I lived, but I’ve never been fond of a comfortable, or settled, existence.
As a journalist, it is important to be educated in many walks of life to inform meaningful writing. At the University of South Carolina, I intentionally designed my curriculum to learn how human development, especially relating to one’s identity or how they perceive themselves, impacts human behavior. In addition to my required English courses, I took classes based around religion, sociology, psychology, philosophy, ethics, history and more. By curating a holistic approach to learning, rather than focusing specifically on writing, I have strengthened my cultural awareness, which allows me to write transformative pieces with confidence and competence.
During my semester abroad, my Rome Modern City class (HUMA 003T) opened my eyes to the impact of governmental and societal pressures on someone’s identity. The class engaged specifically with the concept of urbanization, or the process of making an area more urban. On the first day, we learned that 80% of the city was built in the last 100 years. When I heard this, I was shocked. Rome is known as one of the most historic cities in the world – one of the only civilizations whose ancient stories still exist today. However, modern Rome is a completely different giant – a city desiring the innovation of other European cities without jeopardizing the value of its past.
While urbanization leads Mayor Virginia Raggi’s agenda, it is deeply contested by the city’s residents, especially those in the periphery. It begs the perpetual question: Who does Rome belong to? The residents or the tourists?
This question played out in Porta Furba, a historically socialist neighborhood in southeast Rome, developed in the early 20th century. As my class walked the streets of Porta Furba, balancing our notebooks in one hand with umbrellas in the other, our professor pointed down a side road and asked, “What do you see here?” It was a wide street meant for walking, with shops and apartments on both sides. At the end of the street where we stood, posts were lined up to block cars from entering. The shops were open but empty, and we were the only ones walking on the street.
Our professor continued to say that Porta Furba has a major parking issue because of an influx of rural immigration and the lack of space for them. A year earlier, the walking street was a road with dozens of parking spots lined on it. To promote foot traffic and tourist shopping, although it was not a frequented tourist site, Mayor Raggi blocked the road and turned it into a pedestrian walkway, thereby removing dozens of necessary parking spots. Apartment residents now have to park blocks away from their homes, and the shops are getting no more foot traffic than before. People in Porta Furba rioted over this walkway for shoppers, but it happened anyway. They’ve threatened construction workers and started dumpster fires over other projects.
Issues of contested space are found all throughout Rome. Mayor Raggi’s “requalification projects” target periphery neighborhoods like Porta Furba, both urbanizing and gentrifying them. The term “requalification” means “to become qualified again,” as if the space is not considered truly Roman until it is prepped for tourists.
Since this lesson, I’ve been able to recognize urbanization and gentrification in the cities I visit and live in. In my hometown of Raleigh, for example, the local government is engaging in the “downtown south project,” where a 140-acre piece of land on the south side of downtown Raleigh is being rezoned to create a stadium, entertainment complex, multiple skyscrapers and office buildings. All of the media thus far has remarked this as a great win for the city, but no one is asking about the impact of this urbanization. Who lived on the land being sold? What businesses will have to move? What was the socio-economic status of these families? Were they given financial compensation?
Through the concept of urbanization taught in my Rome Modern City class, I’ve learned that someone’s cultural identity can be weakened through this process because urbanization and gentrification eliminate the authentic character of an area that took generations to build. Further, it introduces the question: How can the urban individual maintain independence and individuality of their existence against the sovereign powers of society? Mayor Raggi knows the locals are rioting over her requalification project, yet she continues stripping away the true Rome for a picturesque version she believes tourists can appreciate. At the same time, her supporters argue this urban rejuvenation is essential for the city to remain forward-looking.
For the same class, I researched the unique gender relations of the city, specifically how feminist movements have played out. Upon entering the city, it became very clear that women have a different social role than in the United States. Publicly, men are dominant, and women are submissive. Women are openly gawked at by men of all ages and statuses, but women pretend not to notice. They bashfully gaze out the window of a tram and men openly lick their lips while staring at them. As an American woman who was unaccustomed to this norm, I’d often roll my eyes or say something whenever this happened to me. I was never met with understanding, but every time, I was yelled and cursed at. It is constant and aggressive, and in my experience, the most difficult cultural norm to accept.
Instead of judging it, I wanted to learn about it. In my research, I discovered how the Western 1970s feminism movement played out in Italy but didn’t get the footing to impact gender roles, like it did in the US. As highlighted in the attached artifact “Stuck in the Past,” the Italian feminism movement essentially borrowed ideals from the Western movements, which didn’t necessarily fit into Italian society. Further, these relations are described as a “game between men and women.” Where a Western woman might find this highly offensive, an Italian woman finds it flattering.
Through this research, I learned that just because gender norms are different from what I consider “feminist,” it doesn’t mean they are wrong. Gender is a sensitive issue to cover in journalism, especially when it comes to other cultures’ acceptance of gender. When writing about sensitive issues, I have learned to take my own opinion out and research instead. By analyzing issues scientifically rather than through personal opinion, I can better understand the root, and therefore the trajectory.
Beyond the classroom, I participated in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Equity Challenge during February of 2021. Over the course of 21 days, or the time it takes to form a habit, I learned strategies to engage in meaningful conversation about race and racism. Each day, I engaged with multiple media about different racially charged topics, including white privilege, microaggressions, cultural appropriation and anti-Black racism.
I kept a daily log of the media I viewed, my notes, my reflections and the actions I plan to take. As highlighted in the attached artifact, “Racial Equity Challenge,” I learned about the history of racism, my personal privilege, microaggressions, systemic racism, allyship and more. My most important realization can be seen highlighted on day 18, where I confronted my fear of saying something wrong while practicing allyship and being marked as a racist. On this day, I was reminded that allyship is not about me, but about the marginalized groups who have had to deal with this feeling every time they are silenced by a white person. I learned to own my mistakes, how to apologize and how allyship requires continued learning.
This program has also taught me about myself as I engaged with these racially charged topics. I learned that I’ve unintentionally benefited from institutional racism and sometimes, I unknowingly participated in microaggressions. This was a difficult realization to come to because I’ve never meant to put myself before anyone else. Most white people are well-intentioned but don’t understand their impact, which perpetuates the cycle of racism. Through this 21-day learning and reflective period, I’ve broken out of that bubble.
By taking the time to check my own privilege and learn about the history of racism, I am able to better empathize with marginalized groups. This program will strengthen my writing because in order to make an impact, I have to understand every angle of what I’m writing about – every story that could be told, which connects back to my “downtown south” scenario. In addition, I can ask important questions in my future newsroom to ensure my colleagues and I are considering marginalized groups in our articles. For example, I could introduce the conversation of if the way we display mugshots of Black people perpetuate stereotypes and if we should be showing the images at all. Further, by learning the components of identity and exploring my own in relation to those of marginalized groups, I will be able to write as an advocate rather than a bystander.
In today’s world of journalism, I feel that journalists are more interested in telling than listening, especially when it comes to sensitive topics like marginalized groups. Through my curated course list and my time abroad, I made it my goal to listen. I wanted to absorb everything I was learning, without applying any personal opinions as journalists frequently do. In this practice, I was exposed to the intricacies of culture hidden behind the noise. Most notably, I have witnessed how someone’s identity can be impacted by both societal and environmental factors. In neighborhoods like Porta Furba, the “authentic Rome” is being gentrified, stripping the character of the culture and place, which can make residents feel like they don’t belong in their own home. For many Black people in America, microaggressions suppress Black voices, and systemic racism perpetuates the disadvantages many Black people have experienced in the workplace, in education, in government, etc. This also reigns true for Native American populations, Asian Americans and other People of Color. Having learned how identity is formed and impacted, I can not only be a more effective writer, but I can better understand the people I associate myself with.
Cultural competence is one of the most important factors of professional and civic engagement. With what I’ve learned during my college years, I will be able to conduct myself in a polished and altruistic manner in the workplace. Whether this is with colleagues or people I am interviewing, my experiences with identity will allow me to empathize with the people around me. As a journalist, my entire career is based around civic engagement, or public affairs. It is vital that I understand how and why people function the way they do. Specifically, I must be culturally competent in the qualities that make them who they are. Whether that is race, religion, culture, gender or family, a person’s upbringing has an impact on their choices.
While some journalists write to persuade, I’ll write to inform. Listening to other people, especially people with a different background to mine, is vital to crafting a transformative story. By being educated about people, I can be an advocate for them in my personal life, and I can better write about them in my professional life, allowing my stories to have a bigger impact on the world around me.
KEY INSIGHT 2: ETHICS
Before coming to college, I had a publish-all, tabloid-type mentality surrounding journalism. If there was a story, it was worth reporting, no matter who it hurt. I believed this because it’s what I was exposed to: gossip columns and exposés. In these past few years, my outlook has done a complete 180° shift. Having the influence of a journalist requires intense ethical consideration for everything I write, because I have the power to change people’s perceptions on the world.
In my Introduction to Rhetoric class (ENGL 387), I was first introduced to Isocrates’ idea that eloquence must be joined with wisdom. For me, this means that the production of words and speech must be joined with understanding the effect my words and ideas can have on people. Isocrates believed wisdom without eloquence is useless, and eloquence without wisdom is empty, even dangerous. In this class, I was first introduced to the idea that what I’m writing is equally as important as why I’m writing it.
This idea was explored further in my Freedom, Responsibility and Ethics of the Mass Media class (JOUR 501). This course broke down controversial topics in the newsroom, including privacy, violence, graphic images, race, culture and gender, by forcing students to think critically on how to report such stories. Further, we were asked to think ethically. Oftentimes, this meant not reporting a great story for the sake of an individual’s privacy. Other times, it meant going against someone’s wishes and publishing a story for the sake of public knowledge. Each week during class, we were presented with scenarios and called upon randomly to make quick and decisive arguments on courses of action.
During this class, I learned the term teleological ethics, a theory which sees ethical actions based on a consideration of their consequences. Rather than a right or wrong view of decisions, this theory allows for a gray area. While objective moral truths might have ruled in the past, this situational consideration has a stronger place in today’s world. For example, while an objective moral truth is that lying is wrong, teleological ethics might consider it better to tell someone you love the meal they cooked because they worked hard on it, even if you don’t like it. Thus, an immoral action can lead to a moral result. In terms of applying this kind of thinking to journalism, our professor presented us with a real-life scenario:
A man in prison is looking to hurt the prosecutor who put him there. He tells another inmate, who will be released soon, to burn down the prosecutor’s house with him and his family inside. Once released, the inmate tells the police everything. Though the inmate is not going to burn the house down, the police worry about the family’s safety, knowing the vengeful prisoner can ask someone else to start the fire. The police ask your news station to print a front-page story in your next issue, saying the house burned down with the prosecutor and his family inside, so when the prisoner reads the paper, he will assume them dead. Then, the family will be safe. What do you do?
A deontological, or black-and-white consideration of ethics, would say that a journalist should never lie. However, a teleological consideration sees the moral implication they have in the situation. We spent time in class weighing the responsibility of the newspaper with its commitment to the truth, questioning whether or not to publish the false story. Using teleological ethics, we came up with an alternate solution. We would write the false story, print a dozen copies and drop them off at the prison. The prisoners would be exposed to this false story, but the general public would not. The prisoner would believe this family to be dead, making them safe.
This lesson helped me understand the power that journalism can have on people. Further, it helped me see my future readers as individuals rather than just part of a group. A journalist’s job extends far beyond delivering a story, but we have a direct impact on the daily lives of our readers. In this scenario and many others that we encountered in the class, journalists were faced with difficult decisions that go far beyond informing the public. In such situations, a journalist must examine how their publication will impact a single person’s life. It can be the difference between life and death.
In this class, I co-authored a research paper responding to the lack of trust in news stations. In this paper, as highlighted in the attached artifact “Creating an Ethical News Consumer,” we created a formula of three teleological ethical theories, that when used together, someone can effectively consume news through. The formula takes into the account the source, the content and the reader’s personal beliefs, applying it to two real-world situations. While the writing itself took a significant amount of time, it took weeks to comb through many ethical theories, weigh their significance and find their place in news consumption. We had to confront ethics from every perspective, talking through different situations and rationalizing the ethical approaches of each.
These lessons translated beyond the classroom, in my role as the president of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Ethics were an important part of my position because of the diverse thoughts and needs of such a large group of women. My chapter consisted of 330 members and a leadership team of 16 women. Each member had a different outlook on how chapter council should be leading the chapter, and each council member had a different approach to leadership. One of my roles as president was making sure my peers felt heard.
I applied the lesson from my Introduction to Rhetoric class that eloquence must be joined with wisdom. Being the head spokesperson doesn’t make someone a leader. Leadership lies in the wisdom behind the words. As president, I was intentional with my words – speaking clearly, assertively, when necessary and oftentimes staying quiet. I learned that being a leader isn’t about being the loudest one in the room, but in the silence, other leaders bloom.
I applied teleological ethics to my role, specifically by treating people as individuals. Oftentimes, members would come to me with personal situations, concerned about their role in the chapter, or with frustrations about how the chapter is running. While having these meetings were commonplace for me, I understood that it took a lot of courage for them to open up to a peer, so I treated each situation with care. I listened, kept conversations confidential and treated each person as an individual rather than a number in the chapter. Because of this, I formed trusting relationships with members of my chapter, which is where I believe I had the biggest impact. For example, a member once talked to me about how she felt she was being bullied out of her living situation. I found a spot for her to live in the sorority house and worked it out with our House Board and property manager, even if that meant one of my closest friends would no longer have a solo room. She moved into the house and her mental health improved tenfold. This wasn’t in my job description, but for this member, I feel that I made an impact. While I performed traditional “leader” tasks like presiding over meetings and signing contracts, my relationship with individual members made my time as president mean something.
The Annual Chapter Expectations (ACE) Packet, something I had to complete for the university, explains chapter council’s role in treating members as individuals. For example, as highlighted in the attached artifact, “ACE Program Planning Document,” we focused on transforming the Standards Committee to reflect our members’ opinions. For the first time, members had a say in the severity of Standards offenses. We sent out a survey allowing everyone to have their opinions heard, in order to ethically discipline members who broke the rules. This reflects a sub-theory of teleological ethics, utilitarianism, which believes the opinion of the majority is the most ethical. By listening to our members, our chapter is better off.
Chapter Council meetings prepared me for the workforce because they function much like a busy newsroom. News comes quickly and the media are expected to respond by the next news cycle, so newsrooms are often filled with stories flying back and forth, angles, titles and most importantly, ethical considerations of stories. During my role as president, I presided over Chapter Council meetings, which consisted of 16 women all trying to have their opinions heard. Oftentimes, we had to make quick decisions that would impact the entire chapter, like canceling a function last minute due to liability insurance issues. In these meetings, I kept things orderly and efficient so we could explore all angles of an issue without wasting time. In this way, my role as president was comparable to that of a news editor. Just like an editor must consider ethics in each news piece and how it will impact readers, I had to consider ethics in how our actions would impact our members, who have put time and money into the organization. Most importantly, I had to be decisive and defend my decisions to 330 women, even if I began to question them later, which is a key part of being a strong editor.
In terms of taking an ethical approach to situations, both my Introduction to Rhetoric class and Freedom, Responsibility and Ethics of the Mass Media class informed my experience being the president of my sorority. I was first exposed to the idea that wisdom and eloquence go hand in hand. Then, my understanding was deepened when I learned about teleological ethics and the importance of critically thinking about everything I write and speak. Both of these ethical approaches appeared in my role as president, specifically by ensuring everyone in my chapter felt like their voices were being heard. Therefore, I have not only learned about ethics in a classroom setting, but I have practiced in real-world situations.
This critical thinking is essential to my pathway, professional and civic engagement. For me, “engagement” means a participation, an exchange of ideas or learning from one another. It is about listening to others and allowing them to feel heard, not asserting my opinion over anyone else’s. With this kind of public exchange, people can be more understanding of each other. With my experiences in this, I can be a leader of this movement.
These lessons will make me a better journalist because when interviewing people, I will be able to connect with them as people rather than just informants. One large part of interviewing someone is being a reliable, trustworthy source who the interviewee can feel safe opening up to. I can curate questions to them more effectively by understanding who they are as individuals, which will result in more interesting responses that I’ll be able to write about. Most importantly, I’ll make sure they feel heard. Through my experience in my Freedom, Responsibility and Ethics of the Mass Media class, I have learned how to properly handle sensitive stories through the perspectives of ethical theories, specifically teleological ethics. The combination of these experiences will make me a better journalist because I can be proud of the content I put into the world.
KEY INSIGHT 3: AESTHETICS
At the beginning of my college career, friends and family would always ask me why I chose the University of South Carolina. Each time, my answer felt silly. “It’s just so pretty.” It wasn’t the academics or the culture, but the design of the buildings, the beauty of the Horseshoe and the color of the leaves in Fall. When visiting, I truly thought it was the most beautiful place on earth. While this isn’t everyone’s deciding factor for a college, it was mine.
Visual aesthetics have always fascinated me, although I never before referred to them with such a formal title. I only recognized my infatuation with things like perfectly stacked can towers at Walmart or color-coded paint swatches at Sherwin Williams. At UofSC, I explored the objective impact of this new concept I’ve always felt existed, which ironically validated my college decision. Through my classroom experiences and internship with Raleigh Magazine, I learned that simple visual choices can completely transform a piece of journalism.
In my Digital Media Art Fundamentals class (MART 210), I was first introduced to visual aesthetics as something people studied. I learned how to use Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom, where I experimented with the visual appeal of matching certain shapes and colors in still images. In my New Media Art class (MART 380), I furthered my studies by learning how to make moving images, or gifs, in Photoshop and how to create expert videos in Adobe Premier.
While my media arts classes focused on this concept heavily, it wasn’t discussed in my journalism courses. I decided to attribute these learnings to my Magazine Article Writing class (JOUR 566), where I selected visual aesthetics in journalism to research for my semester-long project. Using implicit connotative meaning I learned about in my media arts classes, I chose to study Time Magazine’s covers depicting Donald Trump. In the attached artifact, “Time for a Closer Look,” I discovered the impact that images can have on people’s perceptions of political figures. As highlighted in the document, I uncovered the connotative meanings in 30+ cover images of Trump used by Time Magazine and observed their impact on the emotions of consumers. In my words, “Similar to how a marketing campaign slowly draws consumers in through repetitive images leading to brand identification, these negative connotation covers of Trump condition someone into a certain belief system through repetitive messages on a series of covers.”
As a visual learner, I’ve always felt the impact colors and layouts have. In the summer of 2019, this manifested in my internship with Raleigh Magazine, where my interest in magazine journalism sparked. On my first day, the publisher handed me a roll of painter’s tape, an old ladder and 100 printed pages, and she asked me to hang the pages in order on the wall. Once I finished, the staff gathered and stared at the pages for visual inconsistencies – a title too small, an awkward color shift, a left-aligned image that might look better centered. All week, we pasted sticky notes to the wall, printing and reprinting pages until there was nothing left to critique.
This practice was exhilarating for me, combining my detail-oriented, pictorial inclinations with my passion for reformative storytelling. In this role, I fell in love with the buzz of a newsroom and the celebration of creative thinking. It is what made me want to write for magazines.
I’ve applied this process of stringent visual aesthetics to my personal blog, rachyljones.com. Firstly, I carefully curated my website to reflect my own personal brand. In addition to publishing in an online format, I create magazine pages for each article using Adobe software techniques I learned in class. The attached artifact, “Gone to Ghana,” is an example of an article I designed as it would appear in a magazine. In these pages, I display my expertise in layout, color and visual appeal. This article, along with others, has given my blog a unique identity in a web-driven world.
By learning about visual aesthetics in class and practicing with them in my internship, I have become a better journalist. In writing an article, I have to consider how someone is going to read it – where the line breaks happen, where images will be inserted, what side of the page my article will appear on, what advertisement will be on the same page. All of these minor details contribute to the act of reading an article and ignoring them would be a disservice to my piece.
In terms of my pathway, professional and civic engagement, visual aesthetics are an overlooked but integral part to engaging with a reader. No matter how brilliant an article is, if a page doesn’t grasp the reader’s attention via the title font, colors, text breaks, pull quotes etc., it will never be read. Before my writing can change the world, people must read it, and the visual aesthetics draw them in.
Before my time at the University of South Carolina, I didn’t understand the implications of aesthetics in journalism. Words have the ability to engender emotion from indifference, but the addition of visual aspects brings the story to life. It sparked my passion for the magazine industry, where I wish to work post-graduation. Here, I’ll be able to elicit a stronger emotional response from readers by incorporating color and layout into my articles.
LEADERSHIP
BACKGROUND
Over the past few years, consumers have experienced an increasing lack of trust in news organizations, and some of their skepticism is warranted. In my Freedom, Responsibility and Ethics of the Mass Media class (JOUR 501), I learned that there are two different meanings of “fake news,” a definition and a connotation. The traditional definition is what most people are familiar with: false or misleading information presented to be factual. The connotation was created by Donald Trump, who called “fake news” anything that disagreed with him. This means that he often called factual news “fake,” because it misaligned with his agenda. When he began using the term, the public would hear this knowing only the traditional definition of “fake news,” which brought confusion and animosity towards both the president and the media. Over the course of Trump’s presidency, such frequent utterance of the words “fake news” numbed the public to what it actually meant. No matter what was published or how true it was, someone was calling it “fake.”
In my second key insight, “ethics,” I learned the importance of critical thinking in the newsroom. Journalists are the mediators between politicians and the people, with the power to ruin reputations, sway public opinion and act as catalysts for positive change. With the immense influence that journalists have on how news consumers view the world, it is vital that they report stories with accuracy and fairness in mind. I practiced having influence in my experience as the president of Kappa Kappa Gamma, where the lessons I had learned in journalism classes applied. In this role, it was equally important that I be careful with my words, because 330 women were listening and making plans according to them.
In my Freedom, Responsibility and Ethics of the Mass Media class, I wrote a research paper on how someone can ethically consume news using a formula of three ethical theories. This allowed consumers to sift through a large number of media using a simple process to weigh out the articles ethically. The research associated with creating this paper consisted of critically thinking through every situation that could appear in the media and how a standardized formula could account for every one of them. For my leadership section of graduating with leadership distinction in professional and civic engagement, I’d like to use the same critical thinking process to propose the flipside: a standardized process for news organizations to produce ethical news.
IMPORTANCE OF ISSUE
A journalist has two important roles: to inform the public and hold institutions accountable. When Edward Snowden exposed the government for infringing on the privacy of Americans, he went to journalists. When Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers, he went to journalists. Even Donald Trump’s taxes were published by journalists. Some of the nation’s most important stories have been told through the lens of the media, but the dwindling trust in journalists discourages future “Snowdens” and “Ellsbergs” from telling their stories.
A strong, trustworthy media system is necessary to have a properly functioning democracy, where the people have a say in government. The media acts as the voice of the people – the fourth branch of the checks and balances system. Without trust in it, democracy as we know it won’t be the same.
GOAL
To create gradual trust in the media by ensuring news sources are reporting factual information
RECOMMENDATION
Create a checklist for a local news publication to follow, which will be visible to readers. The checklist will reflect the accuracy of facts, any present bias, diversity of thought and other important factors determined by different stakeholders.
IMPLEMENTATION
- Research local news organizations on their factuality and identify a news source willing to participate in the experiment.
- Speak with different stakeholders and audiences with thought diversity, including ethics professors and general news consumers, about their feelings towards the news source, what they expect out of the media and what can be improved to reflect more ethical reporting. Identify trends among responses.
- Craft a realistic checklist that the source can refer to with each new piece they publish, reflecting the conversations with stakeholders in the previous step. For example, the checklist might contain questions like:
- Does our article attribute negative stereotypes to minority groups?
- Does our article include quotes and opinions from multiple demographics?
- Are our facts from a credible source?
- Has our article violated the privacy of any individuals?
- Create a seal to be placed on each news piece, informing readers it has been written and looked over with the readers’ interests in mind.
- Distribute the checklist to the news source and arrange a period of time for it to be used.
- Observe first-hand the process of journalists using the checklist throughout the experiment, to ensure it is being used correctly.
- After said period of time, interview the source on the effectiveness of the checklist and question the public once again of their perception of the source.
- Evaluate responses for effectivity of the checklist and engage in next steps.
EVALUATION & NEXT STEPS
To quantitatively evaluate the effectivity of the checklist on the news source, look for improvements in readership, number of comments, quality of comments, social engagement, overall interactions and awareness. Qualitatively, speak with journalists and editors on the process of using the checklist. Was it easy or burdensome? How much additional time did it take? Did the quality of your articles improve? Additionally, speak with the source’s readers on their perception of the brand.
If the checklist is proven effective in producing more ethical news, organize a professional development activity with working journalists to introduce the checklist, how to use it and the impact it can have on their readership. Make the activity short, available online and easily accessible to encourage participation. Outside of this activity, advertise the checklist and the importance of the corresponding seal to journalists and news consumers alike. With news consumers aware of the ethics seal, they will be looking for it on articles they read, so journalists will be more inclined to use the checklist. To promote the ethical use of the checklist by journalists, readers would be able to see the checklist for each article, exactly where the facts came from and the author’s reason for writing it. Just as journalists hold institutions like the government accountable, the readers would be able to hold the news sources accountable as well.
On a pre-professional level, speak with the dean of the university’s journalism school to integrate this checklist into introductory journalism courses. This practice will inform the next generation of reporters to think about their pieces ethically, rather than waiting to learn about it in a 500-level class like I did. By introducing an accuracy checklist as the first thing a journalism student learns, the idea of ethics would remain relevant throughout their other courses. Students would spend four years reflecting on this initial lesson, building their journalism education around ethical reporting, which will create a more trustworthy workforce of reporters.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The gradual loss of trust in the media suggests there might come a time when trust is lost completely, which would be fatal to our democracy. The implementation of a checklist could minimize skepticism towards the media because it would offer the public news articles which have been written ethically. This would, in turn, popularize ethical news sources and filter out tabloid-like media. As a result, journalists could become trustworthy again.
