Speaking directly to graduates entering the communications field, Shriver applied her philosophy of pausing to the ethical responsibilities of media professionals. She urged them to pause before reporting unverified information, before hitting send on something that could ruin someone's life, and before passing on rumors as facts. This section of the speech carried particular weight given Shriver's own experiences in the public spotlight. She had recently gone through a highly publicized personal crisis, and her words about pausing before making judgments reflected both professional wisdom and deeply personal understanding of how careless communication can cause real harm.