I believe that journalism should be a credible and a respectable source of information in the media. Over the years there have been journalists who have abused their credibility and the fundamentals of journalism ethics. Stephen Glass is a prime example of a journalist who breached the code of ethics. He fabricated many of his stories and added false information to true stories. After his lies were discovered, people were fascinated as well as outraged. He was featured in interviews, wrote a book entitled, "The Fabulist" and had his story told through a film entitled "Shattered Glass." As a result, Glass has accumulated a considerable amount of wealth and emerged from the shame of his untrue stories as a financially successful individual. This situation of course begs the question; when a journalist lies, should there be a consequence? I think that there should definitely be a consequence. Even though we know we are not supposed to believe everything we read or hear in the news, we should at least be comforted with the fact that the stories we are exposed to aren't complete fabrications. When a journalist violates that trust there should be a reasonable fine or even jail time if the stories reached a high level of popularity. They should no longer be allowed to be involved in any form of media. Someone should not be paid to tell lies, nor should they make a profit once discovered for their lies. I don't believe that an apology is enough, especially if the journalist is profiting off the apology. There is no excuse for lying in journalism, and the fact that there is literally no punishment other than public shame is not only unprofessional, but disgraceful for the profession of journalism as a whole.
