Week Three Blog Post

Topic One: SPJ CODE OF ETHICS

Reporting the news is not only a job, it is also an huge responsibility. That is why the Society of Professional Journalists came up with a code of ethics. According to the Society of Professional Journalists, the code is based on four key pillars: seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, be accountable and transparent.

Of the four key components to the SPJ Code of Ethics, the one I think is the most important is to seek truth and report it. I chose this pillar because people  want to know what is happening around them and also around the world. I also chose this pillar because when a well-known news outlet publishes an article, people who read the story will assume that the information given is both verified and factual. According to the SPJ Code of Ethics, if you want to ethically report the news you must "Take responsibility for the accuracy of their work. Verify Information before releasing it." Another aspect of seeking truth is that as a journalist you must report both sides of the story. Reporting both sides of certain stories can be difficult. But if you don't give each side a voice, then who will? That is why the SPJ Code of Ethics has as a guideline "Diligently seek subjects of news coverage to allow them to respond to criticism or allegations of wrongdoing."

Topic Two: STORY #2 UPDATE

For my second story, I chose to cover Linnbenton Community College men's basketball game. The game occurred last Wednesday, and featured Lane Community College as the opponent.
The nut graf: Wednesday evening LBCC men's basketball team took on Lane CC in an fast paced game in which there were hard fouls and big dunks.
I will be using three sources in my report. My first source is LBCC's Jesse Marchant, who was awarded offensive player of the game. My second source is LBCC's  Kaj Bansen, he was named defensive player of the game. My third and final source is Kendrick Abraham, who is LBCC's leading scorer and team captain. The five questions that I asked were: What advantages did you feel you had over Lane CC? Lane CC used a zone defense frequently against you, is that a tactic they often use, and was that the most zone defense you have had to deal with so far this season? Did Lane CC present any challenges you hadn't yet encountered this season? After trailing most of the game you managed to complete an alley-oop, which brought the crowd to their feet and caused Lane CC to take a timeout. Soon after the timeout ended, you subsequently took the lead. Do you feel that energy and momentum caused by your alley-oop had a tangible effect on the outcome of the game, especially since there was only 5:05 remaining when the play happened? Lastly, it seemed that Lane CC only played 6 or 7 players. Did it feel to you as if Lane was tiring towards the end of the game, and if so, did it negatively effect their play?