The Press Club, students and alumni gathered together to discuss ethical issues present in today’s media and acknowledge awards earned by Press Club members.
Students learned the value of ethics through “Ethics in the Media,” a Symposium, on Wednesday, April 17 at 2:30 p.m. They heard first-person accounts of ethical issues, ranging from the concept of “freebies” to the rights and protection of children and teens in the media.
All speakers were Southeastern alumni. Speakers included Stacey Plaisance, a staff member of the Associated Press, Paul Purpura, the Jefferson Parish court beat reporter for the Times-Picayune, Danny Heitman, an award-winning columnist for The Advocate and Dr. Joe Mirando, a professor of communication at Southeastern.
Speakers shared not only their experiences with ethics, but also their journey into journalism, including how their participation on campus aided their success.
“I think anything you can do to diversify yourself in this industry is a good thing,” said Plaisance. “Certainly being with the Press Club, Lion’s Roar and KSLU helped me work with other people and explore an industry that we’re all pretty passionate about.” Success in the media industry can be difficult though, especially for more reluctant individuals.
“Sometimes you need motivation. It’s definitely not an easy industry to make it in,” said Plaisance. “Not being afraid to try something and putting yourself out there to immerse yourself in a story can be the key to success.”
When discussing the transition of ethics from the classroom to the field, Purpura accredited his strong ethical backbone to practice, just as every journalist should do.
“In the classroom you talk about ethics in an academic level, but in the newsroom you practice it,” said Purpura. “There are many things in the ethics textbooks that have real life application and it’s important to understand them. There are many ethical traps in this industry and you put your credibility on the line each time you question them. Often, credibility is all you’ve got.”
The symposium ended with the distribution of medals to the Southeastern Press Club members who participated in the 2013 SEJC Journalism Championship Team this semester. Awards were given for all aspects of journalism, including design, writing and photography.