Situation Definition:
The evening of October 24th, John Eligon spoke on Penn State’s campus during the annual Foster-Forum Conference of Distinguished Writers. Eligon spoke about his experiences as a writer working for the New York Times as he documents police violence protests, the changing face of the nation’s cities and other nuances of America’s struggle with issues involving race. Some events he has covered include the Boston Marathon, the death of Nelson Mandela and the Winter Olympic Games.
As Eligon shared his experiences with us, numerous ethical concerns about his job came up. The New York Times in now encouraging their writers to write with more of a voice in their stories or articles. I viewed this as an ethical concern because writers and journalist are supposed to remain bias, so how can one do this by providing more of a voice for themselves. Eligon also mentioned numerous occasions when is skin color made him a target or suspicious person. I viewed this as an ethical concern because how is one supposed to stay composed and do their job when their character is constantly being questioned.
Analysis:
Eligon expressed multiple times throughout his speech how the New York Times wants their writers to write with more of a voice. I found this peculiar because I’ve always been told to remain bias and to make sure that my opinion is not clear in the pieces I write. So, I think I would find it very difficult to give myself more of a voice in an article while still keeping my opinions out of it.
Hiles said that “journalist should use objective practice to refrain from revealing their own biases. However, . . . objectivity is known as balance. They now advocate a ‘weight-of-evidence’ approach, where stories reflect scientific consensus.” In this aspect I think I can see where the NY Times is coming from. They now longer want their stories to reflect the company as a whole but rather give them individual perspective while supporting those views with factual information to give them the credibility they deserve. Eligon said that he has been able to find his voice without blurring the lines of individuality and opinion.
While reporting Eligon shared stories about the times that racial injustice affected is ability to report. He shared how he is a wealthy man and dresses to impress with his Prada shoes, so by no means is he a man that you would view as a thug or criminal. Despite his middle-class appearance, there were two incidents where cops stopped him and required to present his ID because he was viewed as a “suspicious person”. Yet, the white men he was with were not questioned or required to present their IDs.
To me I find it remarkable that it is 2018 and Eligon still has to deal with racism among police when all he is doing is his job. Zack provokes my thoughts by saying, “think about black rights rather than white privilege, for what are often disallowed blacks are not simply white privileges but basic human rights.” Like the other people Eligon was out reporting with he had the basic human right to do his job and the police did not have the right to question him, insinuate that he was a suspicious person or require him to provide identification.
Conclusion:
By sharing his experiences, John Eligon has opened my eyes to new reporting practices and the prejudices that are still alive and effecting African American reporters do their job today. While I thought it was in my readers best interest to keep my views out of my stories, I know see that giving myself more of a voice and providing my insights can also be beneficial to my readers. I have found that I was in complete denial that a middle-class man like Eligon didn’t need to worry about prejudices against him, but the racial injustice in police is still affecting working individuals every day.
References:
Hiles, Sara Shipley (2014, May 19). Journalists’ Evolving Standards of Objectivity When Covering Global Warming. Retrieved October 25, 2018 from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1075547014534077?utm_source=summon&utm_medium=discovery-provider
Zack, Naomi (2016). White Privilege and Black Rights: The Injustice of the U.S. Police Racial Profiling and Homicide. Retrieved October 25,2018 from http://muse.jhu.edu.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/article/636739