- Situation Definition
James Foley, an American journalist and video reporter during the Syrian Civil War, was abducted and beheaded by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in 2014. Foley was the first American citizen killed by ISIS through a morbid video, which is still very controversial today. A picture of the beheading was posted on the front page of the New York Post titled, “Savages, ISIS beheads American journalist on YouTube”. This case brought me intense ethical messages which urged me to explore further. The first issue I observed was the ramifications our country faced due to Foley’s death-especially the loss of reporting, and the second is the risks journalists face on a daily basis.
- Analysis
The Islamic State staged the execution of Foley, captured it on video, and distributed the footage on the internet to deliver their message. The video raised editorial and ethical dilemmas in the newsrooms and around the world over reporting the facts, without becoming a propaganda tool of the Islamic State. The beheading was published on the front-page of the NY Post newspaper, without any warning to readers, vulnerable people, or children. It is important to inform the American people of the terroristic acts happening in this world, but at the same time, it could be used to publicize or promote the Islamic State. In the video, Foley is forced to speak down on the United States so, there was a lot of controversy on whether or not reporting this was a right idea. Our country not only lost Foley but we lost his reporting, and reporting from Syria in general. One journalist, George Packer says in an article that, “news of the civil war from Western media organizations has been dwindling as security has deteriorated, and it is now likely to dry up” (The New Yorker). Not being informed about what is occurring in our world is very detrimental to ourselves and our country as a whole.
Another issue that brought me intense ethical messages was the risks and dangers that come with reporting on violence, terrorism, and conflicts. Reporters in Syria make choices to get a certain story, but face ethical challenges in such a chaotic environment. Another journalist Emma Daly says, “killing a journalist for their work isn’t just a crime but also a human rights abuse, because an attack on the press is an attack on our freedom of expression” (Human Rights Watch). I found this important because United States journalists are trying to notify the world, and taking that away from someone who is ultimately trying to help others, is simply unethical. This made me realize how many journalists risk their lives daily, not even in Syria, but anywhere.
- Conclusion
Lessons I have learned from this case is how much risk comes with reporting as a journalist. I also became aware of when it is ethically right or wrong to publish a news story. The New York Post should have been more cautious by publishing this photo on the front page of their newspaper, and also could have thought of a less insensitive headline. I think there is a fine line between informing the world and overexposing the audience to terrorism and violence. This was a very ambiguous case, that I believe should have been made known to our country heavily, just in a different way. I believe it is still very relevant to discuss this issue because ISIS’ terrorism and brutality is still very prevalent today.
- Reference page
Packer, G. (2017, June 20). James Foleys Truth. Retrieved November 12, 2017, from https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/james-foleys-truth
Daly, E. (2016, November 2). Journalists at Risk. Retrieved November 12, 2017 from https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/11/02/journalists-risk