Blog 4 – New York Times Video Posting by Molly Nelson

 

New York Times Video Posting

Situational Definition

In the recent news of South Carolina, a white police officer in North Charleston is facing murder charges after a bystander’s video was released showing the cop shooting a black man eight times. In the video, Michael Slager is firing his gun as the man, who was identified as a 50-year-old Walter Scott, runs away. According to Slager’s attorney, the officer claims that he feared for his life when he pulled Scott over for a broken brake light.

This story was on the opening webpage of the New York Times that also included the video of the shooting by the cop. There are warnings saying that the video contains graphic content, but is the release of the video to the public in general an ethically correct decision? I think that it was acceptable to post this video because it shows the real events and creates more emotion for the audience. But another ethical concern is how the media was portrayed. The video could be altered to fit the public’s liking or some of the clips could have been edited out. Either way, the truth behind the story is very disheartening and causes controversy.

 

Analysis

Michael Slager is now facing charges for the murder of Walter Scott. Scott was originally pulled over for a broken brake light and the officer then stated that he was scared for his life and proceeded to shoot Scott eight times until he had fallen to the ground as shown in the video.

The footage debuted on the front webpage of the New York Times and gives the option of whether or not to watch the video. There is a disclaimer saying that the content shows graphic language and violence so the audience is properly warned. But is this video okay to be seen by any person at all?

This video is highly newsworthy and there are multiple journalistic reasons for making it public. Al Tompkins explains, “Remember, the lawyer for the shooting victim’s family provided the video, so presumably the family wanted the video to go public, which mitigates concerns you might have about being sensitive to the family by showing the video” (Tompkins, 2015). Another reason for this video is because it shows evidence of the crime scene. “It reveals facts that are counter to official reports. The officer said his life was in danger and the video appears to show otherwise. The officer said Scott took his stun gun, the video calls that into question,” Tompkins continues (Tompkins, 2015). The family of the bystander who shot the video was praised by the family of Walter Scott. In Kulp’s article, the family cried, “Citizen documentation of these incidents are vital for justice to be served” (Kulp, 2015).

Patrick Kulp also commented on the scene, “The video, however, appears to contradict that version of events. The viewer can see the taser fall before Scott takes off running. After the shots are fired, Slager appears to go back to pick something up, then drops what looks to be the taser near the man’s body. An incident report filed earlier this week said officers heard Slager say on the police radio that he had deployed his Taser. ‘Shots fired and the subject is down. He took my Taser,’ Slager said seconds later, according to the report” (Kulp, 2015). The video helps portray the truth so the audience knows what actually happened.

Another ethical concern is how the media was delivered. Although there is no specific proof that the video was altered, it appears that there was no edits nor did anyone make a claim that it was. They also showed the most significant parts of the actual event which was the cop shooting the victim down to the ground. The noises for the shots fired could have been digitally added which creates suspicion on the accuracy of the amount of times Scott was shot, but that disregards the moral of the story.

The video posted by the New York Times is acceptable in showing the realistic events that happened in South Carolina. It is important for the audience to understand the real happenings of the world.

 

Conclusion

This video has been a great way to show real news. The public should be aware that police are acting within the law and this video draws that truth into question. Although what the police officer did was morally wrong, it does not directly correlate to all police officers. Another officer could have handled the situation differently. Not all cops are bad but when they make a mistake, the public should know so they are attentive of their safety. This officer was portrayed in a bad light but it benefitted the public to be aware of his wrongdoings.

 

 

 References

Kulp, P. (2015, Apr 7). South Carolina officer charged with murder after video shows him shooting black man in the back. Mashable.com. Retrieved from http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15494CA54EC981D8?p=AWNB

 

Tompkins, A. (2015, April 7). Graphic New York Times video seems justified. Retrieved April 8, 2015, from Poynter website: http://www.poynter.org/ how-tos/visuals/333613/graphic-new-york-times-video-seems-justified/

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