Being First

Gabby Reed and Kailie Carlson

It’s pretty simple in our daily lives to justify decisions based on, “Well, they did it first.” Being the first to do anything seems like a lot of pressure, especially when the topic can be pretty controversial.  A peer stepping up to the plate and being the first leaves you to decide, “Will I do it next simply because they did it first, even though my gut is urging me not to?” This is a big concern journalists face every day when trying to decide which controversial topics are okay to publish. Being the first to report something the public views as unethical can cost your reputation or even your job.

For example, an article by Deni Elliott talks about a candidate who kept their sexuality hidden from the public. When the news breaks, reporters have to decide whether it’s ethical or not to report something that could potentially harm the candidate emotionally. If you report this news first, the general public could frown upon your integrity and choose to stop reading your work. This could cause your name to go into the shadows until eventually you don’t have an audience anymore. However, you’re not only putting yourself on the line, but also many others. This news breaking could make the candidate feel insecure or betrayed because of your story. This news can also potentially harm the gay community, making them feel as if their sexuality is taken advantage of by a “ground breaking” news article for you to make money off of.

When reporting, you should always ask yourself who you are hurting and if it is necessary to broadcast to the whole world. Being first could harm your career and others who are involved, and just because someone does it first doesn’t make it right.

Source:  http://mediaschool.indiana.edu/research-2/ethics-case-studies/they-said-it-first/