Hungarian Journalist Trips Migrants - Essay Example

Assignment 2: Reflective Journal Student Name: Course: University Assignment 2: Reflective Journal Various events happening around the world have clouded the media and internet, and the question of ethics and morals always arises. After doing comprehensive research on some of these issues, I came up with journal entries that reflect my personal views towards these events and with regards to ethics. These entries are open to criticism, despite the fact that I have written them after considering every practical aspect that would have applied in the situation involved. The main topics touched on are those on human rights, and are spread over various countries across the world. Hungarian Journalist Trips Migrants In the recent past, there have been unrests in Syria and Afghanistan, and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. These people are seeking asylum in European countries that are currently at peace. According to the UNHCR, Europe has received more than 350,000 migrants this year alone (Sy, 2015). As such, there is pressure to relocate and contain them before the situation gets out of hand. A recent form of containing them was to hold them in camps as they crossed borders. A case in point was the Serbia-Hungary border where migrants were stopped by police but decided to run. A journalist filming the incident decided to assist the police stop them and tripped a man carrying his son in his arms. This act of tripping a helpless man without even considering the fact that he was carrying a child was inhumane (Mackey, 2015). Ethically, all people are equal regardless of race, gender or level of education. Holding on to this belief, it is important to treat everyone as though they are part of our family. This woman, a Hungarian reporter with N1TV, tripped a man at Roszke. She had no excuse for whatever she did apart from the notion that she was stopping migrants from invading their country. It is wrong to justify such an act. The man would have hit a rock or even broken an arm or leg. Moreover, looking at the crowd behind them, they could have easily been run over by the crowd that was trying their best to get to safer zones in Europe. In addition to the man getting hurt, the child in his arms would also have been injured. I believe that the well-being of fellow human beings is far more important than anything else material. This woman might have felt threatened by these strangers who were coming into her country. She might have seen them as outcasts or people with an intention of taking over Hungary. The fact that they were running from the police could have prompted her to think that whatever they were doing was illegal and dangerous and that they had to be stopped. However, tripping them was not the best thing to do. The issue of discrimination arises from this story. Would it be that she tripped them because she is Hungarian, and they are not? This is an issue that can be considered as having occurred between people from different countries, one of which is developed and enjoying good economic growth while the other is struggling with war. These migrants could be filling up Hungary and might probably enjoy benefits that other Hungarians ought to have. Moreover, they might take up the jobs of Hungarians soon. However, regardless of these factors, she should have applied normative ethics and dealt with the situation as it was, coming up with the best moral decision for the scenario (Lindsay, 2012). Moreover, she should have used applied ethics concerning journalism. As a journalist, she was only supposed to film the event and leave the rest to police. Even though the journalist lost her job after the incident and gave an apology to the victims involved, it is difficult to determine whether she would act in the same way in another similar situation. I do not condemn her but rather try to fit in her shoes. She probably acted in a manner suggesting that she was helping the police, and probably thought that she would be a hero at the end of the day. However, ethics overrides every other form of glory, and she should have upheld the best morals of a journalist. Arrested for Making Clock The social media was filled with stories of a 14-year-old from Irving’s MacArthur High School when he created an alarm clock for a class project. He probably thought that he had made a big achievement having used simple semiconductor devices, gears, a circuit board and a display screen. However, he was shocked when he received negative attention from his school, who ended up calling the police claiming that he had created a bomb and brought it to school (Fernandez & Hauser, 2015, 52). As young as he was, Ahmed Mohamed was arrested, handcuffed and taken to the police to answer questions regarding his alleged acts of terrorism. The police were embarrassed when it was confirmed that the invention was just a clock and that the boy had no ill intentions. As soon the story aired on T.V., I recognized the Islamic identity of the boy, and it hit me that stereotyping still exists. This form of discrimination focuses on generalizing the behavior of certain people by comparing it to a small group of people from the same race or ethnicity (Dancy, 2004). For young Ahmed, his Islamic nature made people believe that he was a terrorist, including his teachers. Even though he had created something innovative in the fulfillment of a class project, it was felt that he was a threat that needed to be eliminated immediately. According to the American Declaration of Human Rights, people are created differently, and everyone is born with rights that cannot be alienated from them (The Universal Declaration, 2011). Such rights include those of life and the pursuit of happiness. Ahmed is passionate about technology and NASA and hopes to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He shows this passion by creating an alarm clock, a device that most of his classmates had probably only bought and never thought of building. Immanuel Kant, a philosopher, noted that everyone has a worth dignity that should be respected. I believe this theory was not upheld when it came to the arrest of Ahmed. The boy is just a youngster who was experimenting with devices and gadgets and ended up loving them. His appearance should not derail anyone into thinking that they can discriminate against him by comparing him to terrorists. Beyond the rights approach, the story would have been different had the clock exploded in school. The lives of many young students and a few adults would have been at stake. Therefore, the teachers can be credited for listening to their conscience. It would be inappropriate for one to condemn fully their act since they were only acting out of suspicion and out of the love and care they had towards other children studying in the school. Moreover, they could have felt that their lives were at risk. Even though he received a lot of praise for his innovativeness, even getting an invitation to the White House, the fact that he was subjected to discrimination still stands due to the poor ethical decision-making skills of the teacher. Moreover, handcuffing a young boy was against normative ethics for the police. There is no way that the boy would escape from them all, and yet he had no weapons. All they needed to do was escort him to the police station for questioning, not handcuff him and humiliate him in front of the entire school and the media. Coca-Cola Funding Research on Weight Loss There was a huge uproar from health and nutrition experts when Coca-Cola decided to fund a non-profit organization that is meant to conduct research on healthy living. The $1.5 million donated to put up the Global Energy Balance Network (GEBN) is meant to aid in the research that would help children improve their health. The key to this research is that it will try to come up with ways of eradicating or controlling diseases that are linked to obesity, poor nutrition and inactivity among children (Radcliffe, 2015, 152). I believe that obesity is due to excessive sugar intake and that the most popular soft drinks from Coca-Cola are sugar-laden. As such, people have the right to raise concern as to whether this research should be funded by the largest producers of soft drinks, and how the data obtained will be used for the good of all. It is impossible for a business to wage war against itself, and as such, this deal has been of great concern to many people, especially those in the health and nutrition sectors (Werhane, 2013). As soon as I came across this story, there were ethical issues that I saw could affect it. One of such issues is the purpose of the research, which raises the question as to why the company decided to fund it. What are their expectations? In the case that the research is conducted correctly, sugar consumption should come up as a contributing factor to obesity in both adults and children. Should there be no relationship in the data collected, doubt will be raised on the credibility of the research. Coca-Cola has been experiencing a decline in sales and, therefore, should be worried about its financial performance and position. Thus, every critic has reason to believe that the company has the intention of doctoring research results so as to eliminate its products from the list of unhealthy drinks. However, this would be ethically wrong. Human life has to be put into consideration, as well as the children who grow up drinking sodas on a very frequent basis. As much as the purpose of establishing a business is to make profits, a company should not compromise on the quality of its products so as to sell more (Conaway & Laasch, 2014, 76). Firstly, Coca-Cola should accept the fact that their soft drinks have sugar. By so doing, they will have made it clear to their customers that the intake of soft drinks should be regulated, especially among children. Moreover, it should be complimented with regular exercising so as to keep healthy and avoid cases of obesity and the resulting cardiac issues. Such a move calls for ethical decision-making in which honesty is involved. Another question arises on how the results of the research will be treated. It is only ethical for the company to treat the data with integrity. Even as much as people expect that the data will be doctored for the company’s convenience, having being the main sponsor, it would be against the laws of work ethics. When conducting business with people, it is wrong to lie to them about a product for the sake of profits especially if that product affects their health (Gill, 2004). The Western countries have reached to a point where obesity in adults has resulted in the giving birth of children with obesity in their genes. Such children grow up to be obese, and the elimination of factors that could lead to obesity would be the best thing to do for the company (Icheku, 2011). I tend to believe that Coca-Cola needs substantial income levels to support its employees all over the world, as well as manage the production and distribution of its products on a global scale. As such, I would not state my conclusions on the reason behind the research funding as being malicious. My view is that they should treat the research involved with integrity and dignity of the highest order. Moreover, they should use this information to come up with more sugar-free drinks. Coca-Cola can design work-out procedures that can burn most of the calories taken from one bottle of soda. In addition to these recommendations, they can come up with awareness campaigns in which they can enlighten people on how to live healthily. I believe that it is not necessary for them to discourage people from taking sodas, but should teach them on how to balance their diets and exercise to avoid illnesses that come with obesity and high sugar intake. Volkswagen Emission Scandal The Volkswagen Company has had to recall over 500, 000 cars sold to the US, not counting those sold in other countries, after the truth emerged behind their low emission levels. Apparently, the company has been fitting its engines with a computerized gadget that can detect the car’s testing period. As such, it can reduce its performance during testing and lower the amount of gases emitted as pollutants. When the scandal emerged and was brought to the open, Volkswagen admitted to having fitted over 11 million cars with the device. The findings by the Environmental Protection Agency indicated that Volkswagen cars produce 40 times more nitrogen oxide than was recommended in the US. On reading about this scandal, I was shocked the many pollutants we inhale in our everyday lives. The air around us must be so contaminated that the cases of respiratory disorders and illnesses have risen, especially in children. It would have been preferable for the company to come clean on the gases they emit, rather than wait for an investigation that would embarrass them in front of the entire world. They will end up losing the trust of their customers and that of other investors. Environmental reports indicate that global warming is destroying natural habitats. Deserts are becoming hotter than they were in the last century. Moreover, ice-caps are melting, subsequently leading to flooding in the low-lying areas as the rivers become filled with melted water. Therefore, adding to this global warming through gaseous emissions is hazardous to people, animals, and vegetation. In as much as companies would like to make profits, they should put themselves in the positions of the common person. They should try and get their views had they been the ones exposed to pollution. From this assessment, they would identify with the situation at hand, and find ways of doing things in a less harmful (Shaw, Barry, Issa, & Catley, 2013). I agree with the ethics assessment in which one puts themselves in a situation and tries to evaluate what they would do and how they would react to some situations. Volkswagen should have used such an assessment method to identify whether people would be pleased when such an amount of pollutant gases was added into the atmosphere. Moreover, they should have known how healthy or unhealthy it would have been to have such contaminants in the environment. Even with the great and amazing cars that they produce, they should put health first, and this calls for ethical decision-making. Volkswagen and other vehicle-manufacturing companies should consider the fact that vehicles are not basic needs. However, the health of an individual is of great concern. The air we breathe is shared among us all and polluting it not only affects the owner of the vehicle but everyone else who breaths (Ferrel & Fraedrich, 2013). Conclusion I appreciate writing journal entries as a way of critically evaluating situations, be they local or global. Through the writing of journals, I get to take into account events that occur in our world. In addition to these, I get to analyze those that affect me directly and those that I experience indirectly. I base my analysis on morals and issues concerning ethics. In so doing, I get to evaluate myself in terms of my moral values and how I would react to certain events and circumstances. With ethics, be it at work or in a social event, the world would be a great place in which people can live. Word Count:2906 References Conaway, R. N., & Laasch, O. (2014). Principles of responsible management: Global sustainability, responsibility, and ethics. Dancy, J. (2004). Ethics Without Principles. Fernandez, M., & Hauser, C. (2015, September 16). Handcuffed for Making Clock, Ahmed Mohamed, 14, Wins Time With Obama. Retrieved October 27, 2015. Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., & Ferrell, L. (2013). Business ethics: Ethical decision making and cases. Mason, OH: South-Western/Cengage Learning. Gill, D. W. (2004). Doing Right: Practicing Ethical Principles. Westmont: InterVarsity Press. Icheku, V. (2011). Understanding ethics and ethical decision-making: Case studies and discussions. Xlibris. Kant, I., Heath, P., & Schneewind, J. B. (1997). Lectures on ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Lindsay, G. (2012). Ethical Decision Making. Oxford Handbooks Online. Mackey, R. (2015, September 8). Hungarian Journalist, Petra Laszlo, Fired for Kicking Migrants on Camera. Retrieved October 27, 2015. Radcliffe, D. (n.d.). Is It Ethical for Coke to Sponsor Conflicted Research on Weight Loss? Retrieved October 27, 2015. Smith, T. (n.d.). Book Review:Liberty-Its Use and Abuse: Vol. I: Basic Principles of Ethics. Ignatius W. Cox; Liberty-Its Use and Abuse: Vol. II: Applied Principles of Ethics: Individual, Social and International Ethics. Ignatius W. Cox. Am J Sociol American Journal of Sociology, 496-496. Sy, M. (2015). UNHCR and Preventing Indirect Refoulement in Europe. International Journal of Refugee Law REFLAW, 457-480. Shaw, WH, Barry, V, Issa, T & Catley, B 2013, Moral issues in business, 2nd Asia Pacific ed, Cengage, South Melbourne, Australia. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (2011). Visions Seen The Evolution of International Human Rights. Volkswagen: The scandal explained - BBC News. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2015. Werhane, P. H. (2013). Obstacles to ethical decision-making: Mental models, Milgram and the problem of obedience. Read More

The issue of discrimination arises from this story. Would it be that she tripped them because she is Hungarian, and they are not? This is an issue that can be considered as having occurred between people from different countries, one of which is developed and enjoying good economic growth while the other is struggling with war. These migrants could be filling up Hungary and might probably enjoy benefits that other Hungarians ought to have. Moreover, they might take up the jobs of Hungarians soon.

However, regardless of these factors, she should have applied normative ethics and dealt with the situation as it was, coming up with the best moral decision for the scenario (Lindsay, 2012). Moreover, she should have used applied ethics concerning journalism. As a journalist, she was only supposed to film the event and leave the rest to police. Even though the journalist lost her job after the incident and gave an apology to the victims involved, it is difficult to determine whether she would act in the same way in another similar situation.

I do not condemn her but rather try to fit in her shoes. She probably acted in a manner suggesting that she was helping the police, and probably thought that she would be a hero at the end of the day. However, ethics overrides every other form of glory, and she should have upheld the best morals of a journalist. Arrested for Making Clock The social media was filled with stories of a 14-year-old from Irving’s MacArthur High School when he created an alarm clock for a class project. He probably thought that he had made a big achievement having used simple semiconductor devices, gears, a circuit board and a display screen.

However, he was shocked when he received negative attention from his school, who ended up calling the police claiming that he had created a bomb and brought it to school (Fernandez & Hauser, 2015, 52). As young as he was, Ahmed Mohamed was arrested, handcuffed and taken to the police to answer questions regarding his alleged acts of terrorism. The police were embarrassed when it was confirmed that the invention was just a clock and that the boy had no ill intentions. As soon the story aired on T.V., I recognized the Islamic identity of the boy, and it hit me that stereotyping still exists.

This form of discrimination focuses on generalizing the behavior of certain people by comparing it to a small group of people from the same race or ethnicity (Dancy, 2004). For young Ahmed, his Islamic nature made people believe that he was a terrorist, including his teachers. Even though he had created something innovative in the fulfillment of a class project, it was felt that he was a threat that needed to be eliminated immediately. According to the American Declaration of Human Rights, people are created differently, and everyone is born with rights that cannot be alienated from them (The Universal Declaration, 2011).

Such rights include those of life and the pursuit of happiness. Ahmed is passionate about technology and NASA and hopes to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He shows this passion by creating an alarm clock, a device that most of his classmates had probably only bought and never thought of building. Immanuel Kant, a philosopher, noted that everyone has a worth dignity that should be respected. I believe this theory was not upheld when it came to the arrest of Ahmed. The boy is just a youngster who was experimenting with devices and gadgets and ended up loving them.

His appearance should not derail anyone into thinking that they can discriminate against him by comparing him to terrorists. Beyond the rights approach, the story would have been different had the clock exploded in school. The lives of many young students and a few adults would have been at stake. Therefore, the teachers can be credited for listening to their conscience. It would be inappropriate for one to condemn fully their act since they were only acting out of suspicion and out of the love and care they had towards other children studying in the school.

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