Situation definition:
In 2014, NFL player, Ray Rice was caught assaulting his fiancé, Janay Palmer in an elevator surveillance camera. TMZ, a tabloid news website got a hold of the footage and published it online for the public to see. There are a few ethical issues that go along with this case study such as how does one cover a public figure without their permission, and how does one go about covering the victim of domestic violence? What are the consequences that will come with publishing this video if we do not look closely at these ethical issues?
Analysis:
Gene Forman states that, “It is accepted that a price of fame is the loss of the kind of privacy that ordinary people enjoy” (Foreman, 253). Although I believe that TMZ had the right to publish this video because they cover celebrities, Forman also says, “Aren’t even celebrities entitled to some kind of privacy?” (Forman, 253). Due to the fact that the assault occurred in a public setting, and not in the privacy of the NFL player’s home they had the right to publish it. However, TMZ did not warn either of them about the footage before publishing it.
Most importantly, in my opinion, what TMZ did wrong was the fact that they were not sensitive towards his fiancé, Janay Palmer. They titled the story, “Elevator Knockout Fiancée Takes Crushing Punch.” Under the video there were sentences such as, “Rice dragging the unconscious woman on the floor” and “this is what a two game suspension looks like.” They didn’t cover the victim with enough sensitivity and they hardly even mentioned her in the story.. The story was mostly about Rice. They also did a bad job at covering this because they only talked about the things Rice would lose due to his actions. Not once did they mention the safety of Palmer or her physical and mental health after this occurred. This was a good opportunity for TMZ to spread awareness as to why this shouldn’t be happening to women or anyone in general. More so than being sensitive, she deserved respect. NPR Ethics Handbook talks about respect for their victims privacy, “Everyone affected by our journalism deserves to be treated with decency and compassion” and “we minimize undue harm and take special care with those who are vulnerable or suffering.” (NPR Ethics Handbook)
In the second edition of Covering Violence, Roger Simpson and William Cote said, “Few of the reporters, editors and photographers around us understood trauma.” (Sampson/Cote, 10). Yet they were still sensitive to their victim’s story. TMZ should have looked at this before covering the story. After doing research, it was clear that other online media did talk about her instead of Rice. Many were outraged and angered. I think that TMZ should have looked at other news media to properly cover this story. A case study on this by Marie Alonso said, “Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Instagram lighting up with a collective outrage by regular folks, celebrities, civic leaders, religious thinkers and, of course, shares by news outlets and sports journalists and bloggers.” (Alonso)
Conclusion:
I believe that it is important to find a balance between being sensitive and also being honest as a journalist. It is important to take the feelings and emotions of everyone involved into consideration. However, it is also important to report and deliver the truth. As a journalist, I also would have published the video. However, I would have focused more so on victims of domestic violence and less about Ray Rice’s career. At the end of the day, his fiancé still married him and Rice was suspended. We need to take into consideration the Golden Rule, “Do unto other as you would have them do unto you” (Forman 82). I think that this news report would have been better covered by a serious news channel and not TMZ.
Reference page:
Roger Simpson and William Cote: Simpson, R. Cote, W. A Guide to Ethical Reporting About Violence and Trauma (Second ed., p. 9). N.p.: Columbia University Press Respect: NPR Ethics Handbook
Marie Alonso: Alonso, M. (2014) Ray Rice: A Social Media Case Study Social Media Today. 2015 Socialmediatoday.com.
Gene Forman: Foreman, G. (2015). The Ethical Journalist: Making Responsible Decisions In The Digital Age (Second ed., p. 82, 253). N.p.: Wiley Blackwell.
TMZ Staff: Ray Rice — ELEVATOR KNOCKOUT … Fiancee Takes Crushing Punch (Video)