Lauren’s outlook A column by Lauren Halula

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So, this is my second column. The first one I feel I didn’t properly introduce myself. I’m Lauren Halula, intern writer at the Clarkston News. I was born and raised in Clarkston. I’m attending Oakland University; I will be a senior in the fall! My major is journalism, obviously, and I will have a minor in political science.
When I graduate my dream is to become a political or court reporter. I love government, law and politics. I know crazy.
You’re probably wondering why I didn’t just go pre-law instead.
For one, there was no way I was putting myself through that much extra schooling!
Second, my other, larger passion is writing. I can write it’s a talent that would be a shame to waste. Not everyone has the ability to take facts and build a story out of it. I didn’t want to waste either passion so I combined the two!
To me the beauty of law is the fact that it’s so ambiguous and it deals with the power of persuasion. It’s about taking the literature out there and convincing others that your interpretation is the right one. Most of you have no idea who I am, but people that do know I can be a very influential arguer.
That’s where words come in. To me, the written word is far more powerful than the spoken word, probably because I am a writer. I find it’s easier to hear something and question what the person is telling you.
Written words, however, are more compelling. They convey the idea of powerful facts and information. Look at two of the greatest written works: The Declaration of Independence and the Bible. It’s difficult to find doubt in the literature. Both give us freedom, what is there to doubt?
That’s my goal, I don’t want people to have reservations about the stories I write. As frustrating as writing and politics can be I want people out there to know that the end product I’m giving them is fact, it’s the truth. Or, in the case of politics, the best version of the truth.

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In my journalism ethics (yes, they do exist!) class, my group and I presented a video project.
We decided to be a mock news organization, to figure out what people thought about media ethics. We asked a series of questions to students that were similar but worded differently.
Topics included coverage of school shootings, opinion in stories, deceptive tactics to uncover the truth, bias in political reporting and so on.
Part of the project was to reveal whether or not asking questions in a different way would unveil a different answer.
Here’s what we found.
Most news consumers agree with the opinions of the reporters. Yet, they think reporters put too much of their own opinion in stories.
People think it is unethical to go undercover, use hidden cameras or pose as someone else. But when asked if it was OK to use deceptive tactics ? without mentioning the methods ? to get a story that would benefit the greater good, then they believe it is fine.
The media reports too much about school shootings, but it’s important students know what is happening at these schools and they expect the media to inform them.
When it comes to politics, most believe nothing they hear and think the media is too biased.
The project revealed exactly what we hoped it would. People think we report too many negative stories, we fill the news with too much ‘fluff? on celebrities and we only use these stories because they make the big bucks.
But, and there is a ‘but,? no matter what the people say, they like those stories. The media is driven by what the consumers read and they are reading those stories. Sad as it is, I have been taught over and over in my three years of journalism classes that we don’t decide the news. Our readers decide the news.
My final thought: is it really the media who is unethical?

Intern writer Lauren Halula is set to graduate from Oakland University in the spring of 2009 with a degree in Journalism and Political Science.

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