Its hard to fathom a time where ethics is not important, to anyone, including a journalist. Surely, many of us has ethical principles regarding various situations, and journalism is no exception. Probably the hardest would be interviewing relatives who have lost their loved ones. Journalists are seen by many as hard-headed vultures waiting to pick on the dead's flesh. The "dead" analogy can be used both literally and figuratively.
For me, ethics is a priority in my life. Being Christian, there are many morals and ethical codes that I have grown up with, and i feel some of them cannot go unfounded. If you would have to break the laws to get the information, it probably would not be a good idea. Examples include using zoom lenses to spy on celebrities' on the off chance of a "scoop". Very simply i live by God's greatest commandment, that i would do unto others as how you want others to do.
However, i know i'm speaking slightly romantically as well, as i am not a journalist yet. A journalist would face issues as to releasing data that may destroy careers, or undermine people's reputation, stuff in which you would not want others to do unto you.
So what does that mean? I shouldn't be a journalist to avoid all this trouble? However, it would remain an issue throughout my career in media communications. Therefore i would like to leave with this conclusion, that it depends on every situtation, but to remain true to yourself.
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