1.26.2010

Oh, Internet

Although my emphasis in school is in public relations, and it's also the profession I'd like to pursue, I was required to take a lot of news writing and journalism classes as core and prerequisite classes. And in these classes, aside from learning stylistic rules and practicing writing, you're also taught a lot about new media and how it has changed the way business is done. Almost everything is Internet-based these days and so much more of our life is published for the world to see. Our lives can truly be completely published on the Internet if we choose. With that in mind, one of the topics taught that I thought was really interesting was regarding ethics and the permanence of what we publish online. In fact, one form of that even has it's own name - Netiquette. Emily Post would be so stinkin' proud.

The Internet is such a free forum for expression and there are many times we forget its content is very public and available to a general audience. And very permanent as well. Whatever we write or say is most likely going to be seen by potential future employers, or really anyone else for that matter. A little creepy but very true.

My church also put out this article on compartmentalization of ethics last month I thought was really neat. It's nothing religious, but just talks about the change in journalism and how those ethics we're taught are being transferred over to life in the information age; how we need to be more aware and conscious of our life online as much as we had to be aware of it in real life in years past.

A MAJOR journalism nerd moment, I know.

1 comment:

Funk Master B said...

As a PR grad and self-professed journalism "armchair quarterback" I endorse this post.