Re: Media Ethics Discussion -- COM101 Mass Communications

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Date Posted: 12:29:57 12/09/08 Tue
Author: sarah chamberlain
Subject: Re: Media Ethics Discussion
In reply to: Richard Lenoce 's message, "Media Ethics Discussion" on 17:59:45 11/21/08 Fri

Scenario #4 Newspaper Joins the war against drugs
This newspaper publishing photos of people showing up for a court date for a drug related charge is an issue of �fairness� in ethics. By the paper photographing people that were merely charged, but not yet convicted, might have affected these people�s right to a fair trial. In this country we are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty and have the right to a fair trial. The newspaper is presenting the people in this story as if they are already guilty of a crime and then they are found guilty in the publics eye. In turn, this might make it difficult, if brought to trial, to be� fairly tried, which every person in this country is entitled to according to the Bill of Rights Sixth Amendment.� (LW)
This makes me think of Richard Jewell, the man accused of bombing the Olympics in 1996.
�Jewell had been working as a security guard at Centennial Olympic Park in July of 1996, during the Atlanta Olympics, when he noticed a "suspicious-looking" backpack and urged bystanders to step away from it. He also successfully evacuated a nearby tower filled with television and press reporters. Moments later, a bomb inside the backpack exploded, killing one person and injuring 111. At first, Jewell was widely regarded as the hero of the day, hailed for saving the lives of many. But three days later an article in the local Atlanta Journal-Constitution cited a "federal law enforcement source" that named Jewell as "the focus of the investigation."
News outlets immediately picked up on the unsubstantiated story, and suddenly Jewell went from hero to reviled suspect.� (BZ)
Mr.Jewell�s face was plastered all over the media. I remember watching the news at the time, and even myself thought, �this guy looks kinda weird, he probably is guilty�.
As it turns out, Mr. Jewell was never officially a suspect, only a �person of interest�, but he was found guilty in the publics eye. This ruined his reputation and �friends of Jewell said that he never recovered from the public humiliation he suffered. He filed lawsuits against The Atlantic Journal-Constitution, NBC, CNN, The New York Post, among others. Though some cases were settled out of court, the suit against the Atlantic Journal-Constitution is still pending.�(BZ)
The newspaper in the scenario is only trying to sell newspapers by exploiting these people. Some of these people are probably addicted to drugs, which is a disease, and need help. It is totally unfair to them and their families to have photographs published of them before they are convicted of a crime.
The newspaper should not have published these photos. The newspaper was only trying to help themselves and no one else. I think its enough when they publish a police blotter stating the name of a person being arrested. I don�t think its fair to have a section in the newspaper where peoples faces are shown and those faces are then associated with crimes that these people are not yet convicted of. This causes sensationalism and when people involved could be suffering from a disease, I think the press should be more responsible and more compassionate.

Works cited:
(LW) - Lw-http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/fairtrialissues.htm
(BZ)- http://www.buzzle.com/articles/wrongly-accused-olympic-bomber-suspect-richard-jewell-dies.html

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Replies:

Re: Media Ethics Discussion -- Marangeliz Tirado, 18:56:00 12/11/08 Thu