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.
I heard an interesting theory on NPR (“On the Media” 8/1/13). Brooke Gladstone pointed out that the intern who provided the fake names of the Asiana pilots was unpaid; maybe he was seeking revenge? Workplace politics aside, how did the news anchor not see that coming? Is she like Ron Burgundy where she has absolutely no idea what’s she’s reading until public backlash occurs?
A lot of this has to do with professional incompetence. The fact that these names are not only fake but racially offensive is glaringly obvious. Look at the way Colbert’s audience reacted! (And yes, they’re not even Korean-sounding. Don’t we have a significant Asian population here in the Bay Area? I mean, even if you’re white, wouldn’t you have at least SOME familiarity with the local culture?)
Anyway, there are a lot of people to blame here. It seems like a great domino effect of miscommunication and general ineptitude. I don’t think anyone should be fired because no one is more at fault than anyone else. (Except for the person who created the names. Pedestrian humor, in my opinion.) KTVU should definitely reevaluate its infrastructure, though. Doesn’t seem like things are run too smoothly over there.
Lots of good points. I agree that KTVU seemed to have a lot of tin-eared staff. I also agree that it looks, from the outside, like a systemic failure. Knowing what I know - and the Potter Box would urge me to proceed with caution - I think people should have been suspended without pay but not fired. That's my gut reaction.
2 comments:
I heard an interesting theory on NPR (“On the Media” 8/1/13). Brooke Gladstone pointed out that the intern who provided the fake names of the Asiana pilots was unpaid; maybe he was seeking revenge? Workplace politics aside, how did the news anchor not see that coming? Is she like Ron Burgundy where she has absolutely no idea what’s she’s reading until public backlash occurs?
A lot of this has to do with professional incompetence. The fact that these names are not only fake but racially offensive is glaringly obvious. Look at the way Colbert’s audience reacted! (And yes, they’re not even Korean-sounding. Don’t we have a significant Asian population here in the Bay Area? I mean, even if you’re white, wouldn’t you have at least SOME familiarity with the local culture?)
Anyway, there are a lot of people to blame here. It seems like a great domino effect of miscommunication and general ineptitude. I don’t think anyone should be fired because no one is more at fault than anyone else. (Except for the person who created the names. Pedestrian humor, in my opinion.) KTVU should definitely reevaluate its infrastructure, though. Doesn’t seem like things are run too smoothly over there.
Lots of good points. I agree that KTVU seemed to have a lot of tin-eared staff. I also agree that it looks, from the outside, like a systemic failure. Knowing what I know - and the Potter Box would urge me to proceed with caution - I think people should have been suspended without pay but not fired. That's my gut reaction.
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