Blago!

Part 1

I am a very opinionated person. While this has its advantages, it has a great deal of disadvantages as well. In the world of journalism, it would cause me to be a very biased journalist. A few of these topics would include: politics, sports, cars, and music. Politically, I lean pretty heavily to the right. Often times, this prevents me from finding any valuable information on what the Democratic Party's leaders have to say. I don't think I would be able to report a fair and balanced review of anything involving the two parties. I would be inclined to side with the group I agree with and heavily favor them in the piece. As far as sports go, I am a very loyal fan--especially in basketball. I am a die-hard Kobe Bryant and Los Angeles Lakers fan. If I were asked to work on a piece about any other NBA team and an accomplishment they have had, I would have a difficult time pointing out anything good about the team or its players. I also am a big fan of cars. However, this is limited to German cars. I personally believed that we should have let GM shut down, and would have struggled in reporting anything other than that. Lastly, I listen to quite a bit of music--but only a few genres. My least favorite is country. If asked to do a piece on a country artist or award show, I would have to respectfully decline.

If asked to work on something regarding the topics above, I would be hard pressed to accept. It is not because I wouldn't be able to, but it is solely based on the fact that I don't feel I would be able to provide a fair and balanced view. My personal opinions are very strong, and I would have a difficult time putting them aside while working on the piece. Obviously, I mentioned a few of my favorite things. I feel I would be able to do an adequate job covering anything else, as I am not extremely passionate on the subject. I am passionate on a number of issues, as most are, but I feel that I would be able to put my opinions and personal views aside on all other subjects.

I feel the media is extremely biased--especially politically. During this past election, this was illustrated quite well. You had one station who was pretty far to the right, three or four who were pretty far to the left, and a few that actually report fair and balanced news. The style of reporting has gotten away from what it was intended to be. It's hard to open a newspaper or turn on a news show today without hearing the anchor's personal opinion latched on to the article. I feel there is a remedy, however. I think the current media is presenting way to much information on certain topics which further leads to them sharing their opinions. For example, during the past election it was not important that Barack Obama was in Hawaii with his family with his shirt off on the beach. This is not news. It is important, however, how he feels on certain issues and how those views will lead to the betterment of our country. Stick to the basics is my best advice.

Part 2

I, personally, do not feel that the Tribune covered this story fairly. Do I agree with their view point of him? Absolutely. But is it a fair and balanced report of a speech? Absolutely not. It is the media's job to cover news and tell what happened. They partly did this, but couldn't separate their own personal feelings from a fair and balanced report of the event. I think this because of all the snubs that were put into the article. Also, based on the comments on the article, it doesn't seem that the Journalist's writing is even accurate.

I feel the two parts of the SPJ code of ethics that this violated were the Seek Truth and Report it and Be Accountable sections. Based on other stories regarding the speech and the comments on the article, the journalist did not tell the truth. People did laugh at his jokes, and not ALL people hated him throughout. I don't feel that she was telling the truth and I feel that she may have over exaggerated much of the story to paint the former governor to be what she thought he should be. I also feel she violated the Be Accountable section of the SPJ code of ethics because I don't feel she abided by the same high standards she holds others. She criticized the Blagojevich the entire story, showing that she may be upset with how he let down our state and broke many rules. In reality, she let down her fellow journalists and people in her profession. She acted very pettily. I do feel there is a potential for libel as well. It is said that she has lied about certain things and painted an evil picture of the former governor, which may tarnish his image--even more than it is now!

If I were to write this article, I would present a fair and balanced report. Although I greatly dislike Blagojevich, I feel the public deserves a fair and accurate story of what actually happened. I would just mention the facts: Why he was there, what he said, a brief history, and both sides of the audience's views. I feel the Tribune ran this story in this way because they knew they would be able to get away with it. The fact of the matter is that most people in Illinois don't like Rod Blagojevich and are disappointed in his actions. The tribune is confident that most people would agree with them and not challenge the story in any way. I feel this is wrong.