Kaitlyn Hart

Life Editor

Writing has always been my passion. I feel that it is my purpose in life to live as a journalist. To provide information to the public, let people tell their stories on a bigger platform, and to do all of these things through the written word. 

Throughout my time here at ISU, I as well as my fellow journalism majors, have been told time and time again by our professors, what it means to be ethical and how important it is to commit to being an honest and trustworthy writer. We take ample time to learn the Code of Ethics from the Society of Professional Journalism, which goes as follows;

“Journalists should seek truth and report it. Journalists should minimize harm. Journalists should act independently. Journalists should be accountable and transparent.”

Within the last few weeks, our paper has received a great deal of criticism for how we have chosen to conduct our reporting of important stories. One of the hardest things about journalism is that it isn’t always pretty. It is our job to report the good, the bad and the ugly. We are not a PR organization. We are not working for a client, and we are not trying to build up or dismantle anyone’s reputation. We are trying to spread the truth, and that is all we have ever tried to do.

We are young journalists, yes. But that does not mean that we are careless. It does not mean that we don’t understand the implications and possible outcomes of our choices. It is detrimental to the future of journalism when young journalists, at the beginning of their careers, are scared to report things that might make people upset. 

We recently received an anonymous comment on our website that sums this up greatly.

“Mental abuse of young people trying to find their way into a career is unforgivable.” 

The American Press Institute has its own elements of journalism; 

“Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth. Its first loyalty is to citizens. Its essence is a discipline of verification. Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover. It must serve as an independent monitor of power. It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise. It must strive to keep the significant interesting and relevant. It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional. Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience. Citizens, too, have rights and responsibilities when it comes to the news.”

Being an ethical journalist means being as thorough as possible, as truthful as possible and as careful as possible, all while making sure that nothing sounds vague, boring or faulty. It is our job to distribute the truth among the public, not to sugar coat it.

A big part of our job is knowing our boundaries. We have always been loyal to our sources, we have never misdirected anyone who has played a part in the writing of our paper, and we have always been painfully careful about what we write.

I think it’s time that people start looking at journalism through a different lens. With this concept of ‘fake news’, it has somehow transformed into ‘fake journalists’, when in reality, a real journalist will only report the truth once they have corroborated every claim possible.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I wish that people had a little bit more faith in their local journalists. To put it bluntly, we have a hard job. Sometimes the job of delivering pretty tough news falls in our lap, but we do it for the sake of democracy and the health and stability of society. 

We are doing the best we can, given the circumstances in which we are often seen as the ‘enemy of the people’, when really, all we ever want to do is help them.

Our paper is publishing stories to help the community in the best way we can and from my point of view, I think we’re doing a pretty damn good job.