My personal morals act as a basis for distinguishing between what is right and what is wrong, doing what is right and thus, determine my daily actions and emotions.
My parents, education and work experience have played profound roles in the development of my core personal values: personal integrity, pursuit of excellence, acceptance of accountability, love of family, achievement of ambitious goals and attitude. My ethical decision-making is often driven by my motives (honoring my commitment to respect individual human dignity) and my virtues (personal integrity), which are better determinants of my own morality than are the consequences of my actions.
I believe that disrespect, dishonest, and self-centered actions are morally wrong, regardless of their outcomes (Gower, 2008). My deep belief that “it takes all types to make the world go ‘round” has influenced my journalism career to consider the rights of individuals, to respect human dignity, and to avoid using people as a means to an end (Velasquez, Andre, Shanks, & Meyer, 1996).
As a result of this, all these values and personal ethics have indeed reinforced the most critical ethical decision I would make as a journalist. Hence, fairly and balanced, fulfilling the watchdog role and serve as an advocate for the voiceless. It is imperative that I remember and engage who I work for -– citizens. Tell them the truth with objective and accurate facts and make it comprehensive.
The world is moving so fast, and things are changing drastically. I never get tired of being at the forefront of new technologies and be continuously educated. Warren Buffet once said, “The smarter the journalists are the better off society is.”
References
Gower, K. K. (2008). Doing the right thing. In Legal and ethical considerations for public relations (pp. 1-23). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc.
Velasquez, M., Andre, C., Shanks, T., & Meyer, M. J. (1996). Thinking ethically: A framework for moral decision-making. Issues in Ethics 7(1). Retrieved from http://www.scu.edu/
Hey Claude,
I also wrote about distilling values and ethics from my parents, along with work environment. Where we spend time is where we learn lessons, but I wonder if that can make it harder to reflect. How can we step back?
Thank you for your comment @grsandler. I don’t think stepping back would be the best effort, but I am convinced that the more you learn from those experiences the more iminent your reflections are going to be and the more safe ethical decisions you are going to make during complex situations.