Fallacies

Equivocation: February 20, 2015.

I was in the car with my brother and for some weird reason he was driving (I always drive). We were coming up to a street he was supposed to be turning left on and we were having a conversation about what we should do that night. He suggested something that I agreed with and I said "Yeah, right." He then thought I meant for him to turn right when I was just agreeing with what he had said. This was a rather hilarious turn of events (literally).

Appeal to Authority: Feb. 17, 2015.

I woke up to some interesting news on Twitter. A person who was very popular and worked for a prestigious newspaper had reported that there was a huge trade about to be made in the NHL. Assuming the report was true because of the respect I had for this gentleman, I started making assumptions of my own. I talked about the trade with my friends, family and anyone who enjoyed hockey. Later, the report was taken back by the columnist and everything was just said to be a lousy rumour. Note to self: never make assumptions until a deal has been reported as final and not just rumblings that some reporter has overheard.

Appeal to Equality: Feb 16, 2015.

On the break, a hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs made a rather sexist remark. He said "we're not here to be girls about it," referring to the team's practice efforts.

There were multiple articles made about this situation, but I read one that seemed to come of as sexist towards women because it was saying the incident wasn't that big of a deal. Someone, a self proclaimed feminist, took deep offence to this article and I decided to side with them for two reasons. One, I mostly agreed with them. The article could come across as sexist and demeaning to women. Two, well, I am a firm believer of equal rights, and if someone cries wolf about a problem of equality between men and women, I tend to believe everything they say just because I don't want people to think I am an ignorant person.

Now that I look back and have some time to think, the article, though terribly written, wasn't as bad as people were saying it was. Sure it was edgy, but I don't think it deserved all the flack given.

How I Want to be Perceived as a Journalist

In a world of journalism where ethics have been getting less and less important every year, I want to be that person who brings back the morality.

With social media like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, it's easier to just put a small post out on the internet rather than write an article for a newspaper. Easy access is a big part of why, ethically, there is a problem in journalism. With social media, reporters can put something out there in an instant without thinking, and the ones who don't think before they type can end up in a whole lot of trouble. Anything you put out on the internet is there forever. It doesn't matter if you delete everything.

If I'm going to be a reporter with good ethics, I want to think before I act. My integrity is everything. Before I write an article, make a Facebook post or type out a tweet, I need to think about if it is going to be received well by the public and if it is a true statement.

I want to be perceived as a journalist that delivers the truth, but also doesn't act with impulse. You need to report quickly, but not without thinking about what you are putting out to the public.