Ethics

As part of an assignment, I’m supposed to write about what I would do given a certain situaiton.

Mine is car repair shops in a college town are suspected of charging students hundreds for unneccessary repairs.Your editor asks you to loosen a spark plug on your car and take it to five shops to find out what they would charge to fix the engine problem. At the first shop you visit, the mechanic asks “You’re not a reporter, are you?” What would you say?

 

So first off, I would tell this guy no. I’m not a reporter. Here’s why:

Shops in town are accused of lying to students and charging them money that they don’t have. If I tell the truth that I’m a reporter, this guy is going to be immediately suspicious and charge me honestly. He doesn’t want his shop to get a bad reputation by lying to a reporter.

Investigative journalism can get you into some interesting situations where you have to lie to get the truth. In a situation like this where it benefits the public, I have no issue doing what it takes to get the truth.