This is the website for the senior-level Journalism Ethics course required of students in the Journalism Minor at the University of San Francisco. We are delighted that non-minors are among us this Fall.
First of all: “Hitler had the right idea.” Wow. How popular was the show at the time? Do you know what public reaction to this episode was? When I did a brief Google search for it, I learned that it actually premiered quite early in the show’s history. It’s hard for me to imagine such controversial subject matter making it to primetime today.
But back to journalism ethics. I think Billie did the right thing in publishing her story, though her methods in acquiring information were somewhat dubious. As we discussed in class, she did use her sexuality a bit: buying her boss a drink, accepting a dinner invitation from her source, flirting with the propaganda officer … Though the sources I’ve talked to strongly disapprove of such behavior (Tim Redmond of the San Francisco Bay Guardian laughed at me when I asked if he would ever flirt with someone he was interviewing), it’s hard for me to believe that most women don’t use their “wiles” to their advantage. As a marginalized group of people, I think many females feel justified and even empowered in manipulating men to suit their means. I don’t know if it’s fair or not – I just know that’s the way it is.
2 comments:
What a great episode.
First of all: “Hitler had the right idea.” Wow. How popular was the show at the time? Do you know what public reaction to this episode was? When I did a brief Google search for it, I learned that it actually premiered quite early in the show’s history. It’s hard for me to imagine such controversial subject matter making it to primetime today.
But back to journalism ethics. I think Billie did the right thing in publishing her story, though her methods in acquiring information were somewhat dubious. As we discussed in class, she did use her sexuality a bit: buying her boss a drink, accepting a dinner invitation from her source, flirting with the propaganda officer … Though the sources I’ve talked to strongly disapprove of such behavior (Tim Redmond of the San Francisco Bay Guardian laughed at me when I asked if he would ever flirt with someone he was interviewing), it’s hard for me to believe that most women don’t use their “wiles” to their advantage. As a marginalized group of people, I think many females feel justified and even empowered in manipulating men to suit their means. I don’t know if it’s fair or not – I just know that’s the way it is.
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