Working Ethics

Having a 'real' job, while in school has good and bad qualities. Bad, because I am expected to do the same job as someone who didn't have class to go to, and homework to do. But good for obvious other reasons. I also feel that being at a 'real' job while being in a class such as Journalism Ethics, I scruntize what I am doing a lot more than the people I work with.

Working in a city magazine has its good aspects. I feel like I know a lot more about the city, and the people in it. Working for marketing I don't do as much writing as the people in editorial, but it is small and theres always overlapping. Marketing is in charge of writing the blurbs that appear in the 'social studies' section, where there are write ups about past events and I am also in charge of a lot of the reviews and writings on the website, including the events postings.

The problem I have, an ethical question, is...is it okay for me to write stories about parites that I didn't attend? And to talk about the people there that I have never met? Tell people to go to an event, especially one they will be spending money one, that I didn't go to and really have no personal knowledge of. To choose one restaurant over another because I've heard from a friend its good, or it appeals more to my tastes, or their website was prettier than the other or more comprehensive, or easy to navigate, when I haven't been to either restaurant. To promote one restaurant or business over another because they advertise with us? To put their name first on the search engine of looking up places to go and not putting up another one. To not list events on our website that are sponsered by San Francisco magazine (our competitor), though it may be for a great charity.
I suppose this isn't one story, or something I saw this week, but has been questions on my mind of where do I draw the line. Is it ethical for me to be doing what I do now? Should I set up standards of how I conduct business or is it really that big of a deal?

Lists

I am lost without my list of things to do. Not only do I love making them, and (even better) crossing them out, I am now dependent on them. I carry an agenda and a mini notebook full of lists, to remind me where I need to be and what I need to do. Writing and commenting on blogs have both been permamently added to my list of Things to Do.