SO-AND-SO GAINED 50 POUNDS THEN GOT PLASTIC SURGERY THEN GOT MARRIED THEN DIVORCED THEN HAD 15 KIDS!!!

MAN COULD BE WOMAN PRETENDING TO BE A MAN PRETENDING TO BE A WOMAN!!!

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES INSIDE!!!

Tabloids are an evil of this world, in my opinion -- just look at the kinds of titles often plastered across our most infamous tabloids. False rumors spawned from idle minds decorate our grocery aisles, flavored with words taken out of context. Sure, some of their stories are true -- there was a story about a kid in my class who traveled across the United States in a year, which did happen -- but they are mostly made up of rumors and hearsay.

And yet, somehow, some people mistake these tabloids for quality journalism.

For example, the article Clash of the House of Cards by Jennrox9, was seen by some as more of a tabloid piece then a true article.

Sure, author Jennrox9 discussed rumors and arguments that may have been happening at the time, but she also said she talked to the people was writing about in order to get their side of the story. That's a step in the right direction.

I went to share my comments in the BBS, and came across a post from CW Bigfoot talking about "journalistic ethics". He asked many questions that all pointed back to the question of truth:

"So how does a journalist...figure out how to get the truth, and how to tell it to the audience? How does an audience decide what's true and what's not? How do we establish trust? What should the journalist do, what should the newspaper do, what should the audience do?"

Well, I believe I have an answer to this question that has puzzled generations for years.

Morals.

It's that simple. As a journalist, you have a power to totally trash someone's reputation or completely build it up. You have to ask yourself, "Is this right?" If you write an amazing article about a rumor that has spread throughout Whyville (or any other place) about someone everyone knows, you have to ask yourself if publishing it is truly the right thing to do.

Put yourself in that person's shoes. Would you like this article? How would you react if you saw yourself portrayed this way? Think about it.

Quality journalism is not just a bunch of fancy words and sentences sprinkled throughout. Its about time and research. Its about looking inside yourself and pulling out something truly worthwhile. The easiest way to get an article published is to start a rumor, but the best way to get an article published is to really work hard.

*Click, click*
ABbayb290
-my battery is running low!!!-

Author's Note: This articles purpose was not to degrade Jennrox9's article in anyway. I actually enjoyed it. It was mainly created to focus on what Bigfoot stated in the BBS regarding ethics.

Editor's Note: Thank you for exploring this issue, ABbayb290. This is a good start. However, I wish the answer were as easy as simply stating, "Morals." The challenges that many journalists face are more complex than that. Does the public have a right to know about a famous person? What if asking serious questions about that person means you have to be seen as mean to get to the heart of it?

If I were guilty of doing something wrong, I wouldn't want it to be spread around on the news... but maybe the people have a right to know about it. And how do you decide whether it's important for them to know? For example, what if a man who runs a really good tutoring company behaves inappropriately with teenaged girls? Should someone report on it to the news, risking the end of a business that helps hundreds of kids learn, or should they leave him alone, hoping the cops can take care of it eventually?

Obviously, that's an extreme example -- it's not the same thing as reporting about conflicts between designers on Whyville -- but the idea is, what do ordinary people have a right to know about? If you knew one designer was really nice and another was really mean, whose face parts would you buy? If it would affect your purchase, then maybe you have a right to know. Or maybe you don't.

What do you think?