“Do as I say, not as I do,” – nope, not good enough

Ethics is defined as the moral principles that govern a person’s or group’s behavior. Journalists, even at the high school level, are asked to “Seek the truth and report it.” Our students are asked to be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting, and interpreting information. They are also asked to give a voice to the voiceless. These are heavy burdens to put on our young students. They are not impossible to carry out, even at their young age and level of maturity. But in order for the students to have a clear sense of what is ethically correct, or not, we must scaffold these lessons for them. The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) offers the following as Ethical Principles: seek the truth and report it, act independently, minimize harm and be accountable. Although I agree with this, I was at a loss for how to convey these principles to my students. Since this coming year will be my first year teaching journalism, I wasn’t exactly sure how to do this – besides the tried and true “stand and deliver” method. I enjoyed the group work – where we considered each dilemma and connected it to an ethical principle. I think these opportunities for discussion are very important to the learning process. I will incorporate these group discussions into my classroom activities. Additionally, the kids enjoy interacting with each other and the discussion allows you to fulfill a Common Core requirement. As teachers, we are asked to evaluate our actions daily. As well we should, our students are learning patterns from us that will follow them into adulthood.

 Claudia Solorzano
Wharton High School
Tampa, FL