There is a great deal of thought and preparation that should go into presenting the news. Examining the scenarios on the ONA websitefound at https://ethics.journalists.org/q/fundamentals/ has provided me with as many questions as I found answers. Trying to find a balance between truth, titillation, taboo, in the trek for trophies is not as easy as it sounds. Do ethics trump the dark desires of sponsors? Do you sell your soul to gain notoriety? These are only a few of the confounding questions that one battles with when they strive to tell a story.
Dealing with Bombs and Other Threats is one facet that an outlet will need to consider. On one hand if you report it first you might capture the most readers driving up your numbers. Then should it be a false alarm? Do you post an apology or just classify it as a cost of doing business waiting for something else to capture the public’s attention? Then do you wait until you can determine its validity? What if it is real and your inaction leads to people dying? I envision a hybrid approach as you race to determine the threat level, consulting with authorities and act on a case by case basis.
The unfortunate truth is that there are times when a Child is the alleged offender or a victim. As a father, how to handle this is a quagmire. Are there different rules for children? Do you need a parent’s permission to talk to a minor like Law Enforcement? The story is important, but my personal feeling is that the news media should err on the side of caution. I feel that unless it is the most egregious of circumstances, pictures, names, locations and exact details need to be held back or written about generally or using handles. The public definitely must be made aware, but the privacy of children should be protected at all costs.
Hostage Situations are newsworthy and many reporters have made a name for themselves in their coverage of events. Thinking critically about this leaves a lot to debate about. As an organization do you communicate with the hostage takers? Do you broadcast hostages held, injured or killed? What if Law Enforcement asks you to lie to the takers, should journalists be complicit pawns? This is another of the ethical choices a news organization needs to make. My opinion is that I would listen to the advice of the authorities, balance it with providing the truth to our viewers while using our best judgment on blurring graphic images of the event or messages from the hostage takers.
The last example I will address of journalistic ethical do’s and don’ts will be the most famous in regard to the news media, Confidential Sources. There is a great deal to look at when swimming in this pond, I will try and give you my playbook for handling this. First, can I fact check at least an important chunk of the information to determine its credibility? This will help me during my interview as I look to see if ‘Deep Throat’ is just dishing to handle a beef and if his reluctance or eagerness is earnest. I would do the best Doxx I could on the source as well which would help me decide how much I would put on the line for them. I would not be looking forward to a trip to jail. Lastly if I wade into this deep end, I will want to make sure we have secure lines of communication. While burners and encryption sound very nice, my experience running a VPN company has shown the government is a lot craftier than the average hacker, many of whom they employ. I would go old school spy bringing back OSS codes and dead drops.
Hello Marc,
I enjoyed reading your article for the assignment “DIY Code of Ethics.” I like the question you bring to the forefront of ethics in media, saying, “Do ethics trump the dark desires of sponsors? Do you sell your soul to gain notoriety? These are only a few of the confounding questions that one battles with when they strive to tell a story.” That perfectly encapsulates how it feels to be a young journalist who wants to uphold ethics but also fears they won’t make a living while trying to uphold these morals. I think ONA gives a great framework to follow that does not feel unattainable. I do think it’s possible to be an ethical journalist, which is inspiring in a way. Great post.
Hey Marc, I love the questions you gave for your hostage situation scenario. So addressing the first question, as an organization I would not let people get involved and instead I would let the professionals handle it while we just covered it. I would broadcast the hostages held, but if any hostages were killed I would not broadcast that part due to the sensitivity of it. If law enforcement were to ask me to lie to the takers, I would have to decline because I would want my organization to only let people know the truth, nothing fabricated or manipulated. Great job on your post Marc.
-Cole Grubbs
Hi Marc,
I really enjoyed what you wrote about the hostage situations, I would wholeheartedly agree with your opinion on the matter. I think to make the situation easier for everyone involved, if one takes what law enforcement has to say about it. I also believe that fact-checking is critical because of the recent debate between Trump and Biden. If that was fact checked it would be much more accurate than it was for both parties. Thanks for your post!