Part 1: situation definition:
One main ethical issue discussed by Doug Blackmon was about the importance in valuing human life. He talked about how no matter how unimportant, failed, misguided or brilliant someone defines their own life every life is the same as they were 20,000 years ago. We work, love, hope, dream, fail, and succeed, but most importantly, we live. The main job while reporting and writing on these intense stories of sorrow is to recognize that there is value in every life.
Another ethical concern Doug Blackmon brought up was the psychological effect of covering trauma. He talked about how there is little support in the newsroom for traumatic events besides the standard corporate mental health codes. This is an ethical concern because most breaking news articles are usually very emotional and traumatic for the people involved and the people sent to cover them.
Part 2: analysis
I think that finding the value in every life is an intense ethical message. When reporters are sent to tragic scenes to do their jobs they have to remember that from even the most important people to the least important people, every life has the same value and they need to recognize that during reporting. Doug discussed the value of life and how it influenced him when reporting on tragic events like covering the fall of the Berlin Wall, 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, electing President Obama, but specifically the BP oil spill.
The BP oil spill was a massive event that took over the news for weeks during the spring of 2010. While many news sources covered the spill and the environmental damage of the oil in the ocean, Doug realized no one was covering the men killed in the accident. Newsrooms are able to tell certain stories in the way they want the public to see them, “during the last 25 years we’ve learned much about how audiences make sense of news. We know, for example, that news frames are influential in making certain elements of issues and events available for mental processing while ignoring others. We know the level of context in stories greatly influences comprehension” (McManus & Dorfman, 2002). Doug saw this happening and went on to research these men and give them the justice they deserved. He thought it was important to honor these men who lost their lives in this event because no one else was doing so. He took this ethical guideline of every life is equal and reported on these men who everyone else thought were an insignificant part of the tragedy.
Doug also talked about mental health issues when reporting on tragic cases. He described how most reporters view tragic events as a thing to just move past on. He says that newsrooms are “foolishly in denial” about the topic. A Guide to Ethical Reporting About Victims and Trauma states, “Few resources exist for the journalist who may also experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The authors say the old newsroom ethos that reporters on the scene need to suck it up—that objectivity means emotional detachment—is naïve and dangerous. Indeed, Simpson and Coté claim that some reporters who leave the profession or become addicted to drugs or alcohol do so because they never dealt with the emotional after-effects of their reporting experience, even if their work did win awards at the time.” (Waters). This is very unethical in my mind. These newsrooms are covering very traumatic stories, whether it is war, street violence, or terrorist attacks, they are sending people from their firm into the action to get stories. They should be provided with some sense of help if needed.
Specifically Doug pointed out a time he felt very unethical about a story he was covering. He talked about when he first started reporting he was covering police. Whenever a young kid is murdered reporters are required to talk to the family of the child, usually the mom, and ask how they feel about their child being dead. He said there was one time when he did this and afterwards felt sick to his stomach that he had to interrogate this family after their child was killed. He realized how unethical this norm for reporters was and how disgusted with himself he was. From that day on whenever he covered a child murder he would tell his editors he tried to contact the mother but got no answer, so he never had to invade their time of grief again.
While it is important to publish crime, a lot of ethical concerns come up like protection of the victim, protection of the family, invasion of privacy, and protection of the public. Like Doug pointed out he felt extremely unethical approaching a mother whose kid was just killed and it is important for other journalist to realize that their story can go on without overstepping their place, “the newsrooms should recognize that journalists’ actions can add to the trauma of being a victim of a crime…” (Bechtel, 2007).
Part 3: conclusion
I think attending this lecture was important to see how journalists themselves look at ethical situations. I like one quote that Doug said when he was wrapping up. He was talking about how reporting on tragic incidents is hard but “bringing the colors to life (of a story) is a way to make reporting in terrible crime bearable” (Doug Blackmon) I think it is really important for reporters to remember that everyone’s lives are equally important, and they themselves are still people. When sent to cover traumatic stories it is important to think beyond the event and realize people are involved. Whether it is the oil spill which killed twelve men who were almost pushed aside by the news, or covering child violence, whose families are still grieving, it is important to consider ethics in your decisions on covering the story.
Part 4: references
Bechtel, A. (2007). Covering violence: A guide to ethical reporting about victims and trauma. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 84(4), 849-850. Retrieved from http://ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/216941127?accountid=13158
McManus, J., & Dorfman, L. (2002). Youth Violence Stories Focus On Events, Not Causes. Newspaper Research Journal, 23(4), 6. Retrieved from http://ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=7709836&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Waters, K. (2008). Covering Violence: A Guide To Ethical Reporting About Victims and Trauma. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 23(2), 178-179