Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Identify 5 themes of risk (majors or minor ones) in the book Research Paper

Identify 5 themes of risk (majors or minor ones) in the book - Research Paper Example 1. Risk of Exploring an Unknown Territory- Expedition of Antarctic Continent Endurance: An Epic of Polar Adventure is filled with a number of risks. While some risks are just meant to accelerate the adrenal, other risks prove to be life saving in the mouth of dangers. The very starting and planning of the adventurous trip to Antarctic Continent is actually one great risk that Sir Ernest Shackleton took with his life. There are similar expeditions taken in other corners of the world, where the thrill seekers met with fatal consequences and many of them even lost their lives. However, the expedition that was undertaken by Shackleton actually 2 showed his true spirit as a leader who was ready to face all odds and give up his dreams of adventure just to save the precious lives of his crew. The unknown always beckons the adventurers to explore it and be the first one to get acquainted with it. There are high risks involved as one does not know what kind of territories would greet them. He nce, one can only assume of the threats involved and prepare themselves accordingly. But, if the peril comes out to be a fantastic one that no one had even dared to think, then only the bravest of spirit could stand up to such challenges and come out a winner. Hence, the undertaking of the Antarctic journey that was known to be one of the coldest and the harshest of all land forms was an unbelievable risk undertaken by Shackleton. On the fateful day of 5th December, 1914, the great adventurer, Sir Ernest Shackleton along with his twenty seven crew members set out for an exhilarating journey into the unknown territories of the Atlantic continent. His goal was to walk on foot the entire continent and get closely acquainted with this secluded and pristine place. The much uninhabited South Pole had just had a couple of visitors first by Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian and later by Falcon Scott of British origin. Unfortunately, Falcon Scott died during the return trip. Thus, it was no use vi siting the South Pole again as it was now a known territory. Hence, the adventurer Sir Ernest Shackleton 3 wanted to prove himself by conquering a new region that had lain virgin till now. And what was more elusive, more dangerous than the extremely cold Antarctic region that no one had dared visited till now. Thus, he took on a risky journey into the unknown world of Atlantic ready to make himself familiarize with this place and bag a name for himself. To embark on this daring journey, Shackleton got himself a small ship that was renamed as Endurance. The ship was built up of Oak and Norwegian fir that was sheathed in enduring and tough greenheart wood. It was designed to function in tough pack ice. Unfortunately, Endurance did not prove as enduring as its name and it was a pack of wreck even before it touched the mainland. This made the journey more tough and formidable as there was no help on sight. Shackleton had been warned by the whalers of the South Georgia Island that the An tarctic had a tricky constitution. Even though it was summer, the ice shelf was found much beyond the continent’s main land area, but Shackleton, filled with a feeling of adventure and confident of his little well made boat took little notice of the well

Monday, February 3, 2020

Do Ethical Theories Help Journalists do Their Job Essay

Do Ethical Theories Help Journalists do Their Job - Essay Example 101). In the conduct of their profession, journalists are practically confronted with various ethical dilemmas that it would be better for them to be armed with ethical theories than not. Furthermore, ethical theory becomes more important to journalists given the impact they can create to their readership (public opinion) and the society (public values) as a whole – which according to Iggers (1998, p. 15) makes journalism ethics unique – especially in this era of corporate journalism wherein the interest of capital often clashes with that of the public, putting in jeopardy journalism’s long-held principles as defined by the Society of Professional Journalists (1973): â€Å"Seek truth and report it; minimize harm; act independently; and be accountable† (Friend & Singer 2007, p. xix; Boeyink & Sandra 2010, p. 17; Black & Roberts 2011, p. 51). Hanlin (1992, p. 28) is perfectly understandable to say that â€Å"many critics might agree with the suggestion that any man rich enough to buy a newspaper should not be allowed to own one.† This statement simply illustrates how the situation and the organisation in which journalists perform their profession today make journalism ethically challenging. It is easy to criticise journalists in fulfilling their profession. But the very condition in which journalists perform their profession oftentimes puts them in situations that test their ethical principles. For example, while journalists are committed to reporting the truth – which is believed to be the core of journalism – finding the truth, especially the dangerous ones, is actually something not easy to achieve in legal and even ethical ways. So, what course of action should journalists take if the only way to find the truth is either by stealing the information or by using deceptive strategies? (Jackson 1992, p. 69) Would it be unethical to go into stealing, lying and deceiving in the name of truth? But what would happen wi th journalism if it defaults in finding out and reporting the truth? The answer to this question will surely vary depending on the ethical theory that journalists hold onto. For example, one may find the task to bring out the truth by any means more important than observing the law. Anyway, it is often argued that not all that is legal is ethical and not all that is ethical may be legal. It may also be argued that the end justify the means. Added to this ethical dilemma is the issue of confidentiality in journalism. The News Manual defines the centrality of confidentiality of sources in the ethics of journalism on the basis of trust. Meaning, journalists may divulge information given in confidence, but must protect the identity of their sources not unless the sources permit journalists to name them. Any breach on this agreement might jeopardize the whole profession, because in the future sources may no longer give sensitive information in confidence. (Ingram & Henshall, 2008) In rel ation to acquiring information through illegal means, journalists can deny it by opting to invoke this confidentiality clause. But to resort to such trick only worsens the ethical dilemma because aside from lying, this clause that is meant to protect sources is maliciously used. Though the confidentiality clause can be misused by journalists to get away with the law, this same clause can also put journalists into an extremely difficult situation. In