Media Ethics and the Case of Liane Membis

Liane Membis, an intern for the Wall Street Journal, was let go by the paper in 2012 after a few of her articles were found to be fabricated. The WSJ could not verify quotes gathered by Membis, and was forced to remove one story and two stories had to be edited.  And just like that, the reputation of a promising young journalist was ruined.

Ethical standards are incredibly important for journalists. Once the public or your media outlet learn of a ethical violation, it's extremely hard--in many cases impossible--to gain that trust back.

Fabrication is one of the worst offences because it undermines the credibility of the news. At a time when only 6% of the public view the media as very trustworthy, instances of farbrication will be thrusted under the microscrope and damage the perception of the whole industry.

From NPR: "50 Years After The Bombing, Birmingham Still Subtly Divided"

Sunday was the 50th anniversary of the Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama that killed four African American girls. Those involved reflected on the mood at the time and the lessons taken from such a tragic incident.

"I think that, in the black community, the 16th street bombing will always remain a testament of not to fully trust white folks," Jeff Drew, a classmate of three of the victims, said.

Others looked at the event as a turning point. "I think that the world began to change with the shedding of the innocent blood of these innocent girls," Carolyn McKinstry, who was at the church on the day of the attack.

Introduction

Who is Jack Tomczuk?

I'm sophomore studying journalism at Temple University with a minor in political science. I live in Northeast Philadelphia and work as a part-time cashier at a pharmacy near my house. Non-fiction writing has been my passion for several years. I started my first blog ("Philly Sports 101") when I was still in middle school and kept it running for a few years. Currently, I occasionally write for the popular soccer blog World Soccer Talk. Sports writing was my first love, but now I've diversified my interests. I'm willing to write about anything, and among my favorite topics are politics, economics, and local Philadelphia news.

What is the purpose of this blog?

The posts on this blog are intended for my Audio-Visual Newsgathering course: JOU 1113. Although I've always preferred print or online writing, I'm eager to learn about a different and equally important aspect of journalism. My hope is that I can learn to utilize new technologies and add more skills to my journalism arsenal. From what I've heard, modern journalists cannot specialize in one medium anymore; we need to become the Swiss Army knives of the media world.

In regards to posting: My assignment is to post weekly on various topics relevant to the course. Though I'm no newcomer to the blogosphere, I'm looking forward to delving into subjects ranging from media ethics to interesting audio and visual news stories. I hope you see my contributions as a good use of your time.