Allison Elkin was the Spring 2015 co-chief copy editor of the RRJ. Cuban ethical dilemmas
I was just in Cuba. You all know this because I blogged about it here before I left.
Well, there were no issues with the custom agents; most of them were young and female and attractive and more interested in finishing their evening shift than sifting through our bags. The reception we received from the Cuban public and baseball players, however, was mixed. People were willing to open up and be candid with us once they learnt that we were journalism students on assignment for our university. They shared tales of their displeasure with the country’s socialist system and the frustrations that accompany playing baseball in a country where players earn between $10-15 a month.
Now I’m back in Canada with a notebook filled of material and I’m at odds with what to do with it. I can certainly use it to benefit our Ryerson oriented project but is it ethically wrong to pitch and potentially publish a story on this subject in a newspaper or magazine. Can I use quotes if I don’t attribute it? Can I paraphrase? Can I use non-sensitive quotes? If a ball player in Cuba even hints at wanting to play outside his country he could be banned from the sport. Tell me, readers.
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