Disturbing images: public’s right to know
vs. invasion of privacy QT18
A 9-year-old girl, burning from napalm, runs naked down a Vietnam road. A vulture watches a Sudanese child, emaciated from famine, crawl across the ground. Two yellow-clad health workers carry a limp 8-year-old boy who might be infected with Ebola to a treatment facility.
What do these images have in common? They are all extremely disturbing, and they all won Pulitzer Prizes. 
While high school journalists are unlikely to encounter these extreme conditions of war, famine and disease, they do need to think about the ethics behind publishing disturbing images. When does the public’s right to know — and the potential benefit of exposing these tragedies — outweigh the emotional harm these images might have on the people in the photographs and those who love them?
If the images are taken in a public space, there’s no question the photographers have the legal right to publish. But, as we often tell our students, just because you can publish doesn’t mean you always should.
The highest ethical responsibility for a journalist is to seek truth and report it, but journalists must also consider the responsibility to minimize harm.
[pullquote]When does the public’s right to know — and the potential benefit of exposing these tragedies — outweigh the emotional harm these images might have on the people in the photographs and those who love them?[/pullquote]
The answer isn’t for editors to set up a set list of what kind of images should or should not be published, but rather to develop an ethical process to help them work through the benefits and drawbacks of publishing a disturbing photograph.
When constructing a process for determining whether to publish an image, students should consider many questions, including:
- Is this image important and relevant to the story? Is the image merely explotive/sensational, or does it have news value?
- What makes it meaningful?
- Will the audience understand the information conveyed without reading any accompanying text?
- What story does it tell?
- What story would others be able to get from that photo?
- What impact will publishing this photograph have on the people in the image or on those people’s loved ones?
- What impact will it have on the news consumer? Does the public’s right to know outweigh any emotional harm to the subject or the subject’s loved ones?
- What, if any, warnings should accompany online content?
- How would they defend the decision to run the image to others, including stakeholders and those directly impacted by the image?
- Is there an alternative, better, way to show the story?
Advisers may want to set up hypothetical situations to allow students to practice this ethical process. Here are some scenarios to spark debate:
- During a soccer game, a student falls and breaks her leg. The photographer gets a series of pictures of the accident, including one that shows graphically the severity of the break with bone protruding and another that shows a close up of her face, covered in dirt and tears, as paramedics rush onto the field. In an article about the injury, should the editors publish one of these images? If so, which one?
- A student comes to the Prom very drunk and ends up starting a fight. The photographer has a several pictures of the flight, including ones from when the police arrived. In an article about the fight, should the editors publish one of these images? Why or why not?
- The worst happens — a student brings a gun to school and opens fire. Though, no one is killed before the shooter is contained, two students are injured. One of the reporters had a camera nearby and got the following pictures: a picture of the campus police officer running toward the shooter, a picture of one of the victims bleeding on the ground, and a picture of the shooter being handcuffed. In an article about the event, should the editors publish one of these images? If so, which one?
Guideline: Students should consider not only the news value of an image but also the emotional effect of the image on the audience. They should balance the public’s right to know with the privacy of the people in the image and their loved ones when considering publication of disturbing photos.
Social Media Question: Disturbing photos give powerful insights into tragedy but can be exploitive. How can we balance public’s right to know with potential harm?
Reasoning/suggestions:
Determining whether or not a disturbing photograph should be published requires a deliberate, ethical conversation among student editors. Once editors determine the image is not a legal invasion of privacy — taken in a private space where the subject had a reasonable expectation of privacy — they need to consider the ethics of publishing the image.
When constructing a process for determining whether to publish an image, students should consider many questions, including:
- Is this image important and relevant to the story? Is the image merely explotive/sensational, or does it have news value?
- What makes it meaningful?
- Will the audience understand the information conveyed without reading any accompanying text?
- What story does it tell?
- What story would others be able to get from that photo?
- What impact will publishing this photograph have on the people in the image or on those people’s loved ones?
- What impact will it have on the news consumer? Does the public’s right to know outweigh any emotional harm to the subject or the subject’s loved ones?
- What, if any, warnings should accompany online content?
- How would they defend the decision to run the image to others, including stakeholders and those directly impacted by the image?
- Is there an alternative, better, way to show the story?
Resources:
Presentation Slideshow: Photo Ethics: Disturbing Images, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee
Ethics, Dignity and Responsibility in Visual Journalism, Jason Tanner, Human Rights for Journalism
Visual ethics guidelines, Principal’s Guide to Scholastic Journalism
Visual Journalism, NPR Code of Ethics
Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery, Newseum
Lesson: To Print or Not to Print, Journalism Education Association
Lesson: When Journalists Err Ethically, Journalism Education Association
Lesson: With Freedom of the Press Comes Great Responsibility, Journalism Education Association
SPJ Code of Ethics, Society of Professional Journalists
NPPA Code of Ethics, National Press Photographers Association
Photojournalism ethics needs a reexamination, The Poynter Institute
Visual ethical guidelines join online, yearbook ethics, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee
Audio: Using Images from Social Media, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee Press Rights Minute
Read MoreWhat we learn by covering tragedy
by Lori Keekley
When I first signed up for this week’s blog, I was excited to write because it’s Banned Books Week.
However, I scrapped that plan Monday when I learned about the shootings in Las Vegas. So, instead of my original plan of blogging about overt censorship, I’m working to help students learn to not self-censor their coverage concerning the Las Vegas shootings.
While the students and I have talked about the coverage of state gun ownership and gun laws, where legislators stand, what students think and the impact on our school and community, I can’t help but think about the other coverage I’ve seen.
We’ve looked through Columbia Journalism Review’s digest of the coverage during the past two days to see how we’re approaching the topic. The students are tracking down every person rumored to have someone who they know there.
They are also examining how gun violence has impacted their community after a workplace shooting that involved the parent of a student who attended our school. What conversation did it forward then … what is it now? Has it sparked activism? Has it incited more calls for Second Amendment protections?
But it’s more than that.
This weekend I finished “The Hate U Give,” by Angie Thomas. Since then, the main character has remained with me, and I can’t stop thinking about the gun violence she experienced while growing up in a poor black neighborhood.
We have students where I teach who also have been impacted by gun violence. Instead of self-censoring or being afraid of covering this, I will continue to encourage my students to cover the students and staff of St. Louis Park High School. By showing their stories, their fears and their views, we robustly cover our student body, which is our main goal.
This week has left me, like many others, with many more questions than answers — many of which will never have answers.
Read MoreCovering controversy QT17
Journalism is not public relations.
Although some administrators would like for students to only publish “positive” stories, a journalist’s job is to watch and report on the school. This may involve students including stories that might make the school “look bad.”
When students cover stories, such as a drastic dip in standardized test scores, the science lab catching on fire or the cost of a new stadium, it informs the public on topics of importance. If student journalists are not covering these topic, who will?
We must, as educators, help students navigate how to include potentially controversial coverage and how to handle the ethical and legal points that arise. We also need to help them find resources for their questions, such as the Student Press Law Center.
Also of importance, students who participate in high school journalism are more likely to be civically engages as adults. School mission statements often cite the importance of “creating future leaders,” “producing critical thinkers,” and even “empowering others to respond to the real issues of the nation and community.”
By students evaluating whether or not to cover a potentially controversial topic, like gun control and not standing for the pledge, they begin to see how they can educate, impact, evaluate and interact with the world around them.
Guideline:
Because journalism differs from public relations, student media should strive to cover real and relevant content importance to the school and community. When controversial issues arise, as they have lately, students should not self-censor.
Instead, they should evaluate the content journalistically and evaluate the importance the information is to the reader. During this evaluation, students should take into consideration journalism legal standards, availability of sources, verification information, timeliness, and the the ethical ramifications of including the controversial coverage.
Social media post/question: Including potentially controversial coverage like gun control and kneeling during the pledge can create challenges, but important topics are worth the risk.
Stance: Students should not shy away from potentially controversial coverage just because it might ruffle some feathers. They do, however, need to be journalistically responsible in their approach and coverage.
Reasoning/suggestions: Journalism is not public relations. Although some administrators would like for students to only publish “positive” stories, a journalist’s job is to watch and report on the school and on sensitive issues. While some of this content may be positive in nature, conflict will happen. We must, as educators, help students navigate how to include potentially controversial coverage and the ethical and legal points that arise. We also need to help them find resources, such as the Student Press Law Center, for their questions.
Resources:
SPLC.org
10 Ethical questions to ask The Pointer Institute
Covering controversy, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee
News vs. Public Relations Lesson
Handling Controversy, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee
Practice Sensitivity in Your Reporting, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee
Sensitive Issues Guide, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee
Tips for Covering Controversial Subjects, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee
Reporting Controversy Requires Establishing a Sound Process, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee
Don’t Be a Fool, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee, Press Rights Minute
Verification Before Publication Prevents Many Issues, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee
Read More
The importance of staff editorials QT16
Student editors are busy. In addition to leading their staffs, making publication decisions and helping reporters, they are likely also still reporting and creating their own news content — not to mention carrying a full academic high school load.
Given all of these responsibilities, it’s easy to see why writing an unsigned staff editorial might seem a lower priority than getting the next edition to print or finishing that great feature on the new student body president.
But these editorials represent a unique and powerful opportunity for the board to be leaders in their school communities, and editors tempted to skip writing them should reconsider their priorities.
As overseers of all publication content, school news editors know more about what’s going on in their communities than just about anyone else in the school. As they read each article and listen with a journalist’s ear to what’s happening around them day-to-day, they can see patterns and problems most people cannot, adults included.
Coming together as a group, they can choose meaningful topics to address and think critically about what they want to say about those topics as a board. Once they reach a majority opinion on the topic, they can write collaboratively on a Google doc or take turns writing the first draft and then edit that draft into a clear, concise final piece.
Because staff editorials are unsigned, they carry more weight than a single writer’s opinion and may have greater impact. Well researched, authoritative editorials are powerful tools for change in a school community, and editorial boards should make them a priority.
Guideline:
Student journalists should act as candles lighting issues within their communities as well as mirrors reflecting current events. One way to enact this leadership is for the student editorial board to write regular unsigned editorials to advocate, solve a problem or commend. Editorial opinions should be clearly labeled and separate from the news section and should not affect objective news coverage.
Social Media Post/Topic:
Does your student editorial board write regular unsigned editorials? If not, they are missing an opportunity to lead.
Reasoning/suggestions: Student media show leadership in many ways, and one of the most traditional is through concise, focused and authoritative statements of well argued and supported opinion which represent the institutional voice of the student media.
These editorials are a unique opportunity for student leaders to give voice to student perspectives on important topics. Editorial board members who take this process seriously and write consistently can advocate for change, serve as calls to action or commend positive conditions.
Because staff editorials are unsigned, they carry more weight than a single writer’s opinion and may have greater impact.
Resources:
Quick Hit: Picking a topic for staff editorials, JEA Scholastic Press Committee
Quick Hit: Staff editorial process, JEA Scholastic Press Committee
“Mirror, mirror on the wall,” JEA Scholastic Press Committee
“Where have the leaders gone?” JEA Scholastic Press Committee
Editorials under attack, Student Press Law Center
Explained: why newspapers endorse presidential candidates, Dylan Baddour, Houston Chronicle
“They need the freedom to make mistakes, too,” Lindsay Coppens, JEA Press Rights Committee
Reading newspapers: Editorial and opinion pieces, Learn NC
Video: How to write an editorial, New York Times
Writing an Editorial, Alan Weintraut
Read More
Who should be on student media editorial boards, make decisions? QT15
Because student media are productions of student work, only students should be on editorial boards of student media. That would include the general manager and producers of broadcast media.
Generally, student editors make up editorial boards. Some may have student staffers attend and vote if so desired. Editorial board meetings can normally be open to the whole staff. Others can be invited to sit in and observe by invitation.
The process of deciding editorials should be outlined in ethical guidelines and detailed in staff manual procedures. Having only student editors make decisions reinforces the open forum status for your student media.
Guidelines/Key points/action:
Because student media are productions of student work, only students should be on editorial boards of student media. That would include the general manager and producers of broadcast media.
Only students should have voting or decision-making roles for such media, although some programs have the adviser sit in on board discussions ex officio. It is not recommended to have administrators, other non-journalism faculty or community members on student media boards.
Stance:
Generally, student editors make up editorial boards. Some may have student staffers attend and vote if so desired. Editorial board meetings can normally be open to the whole staff. Others can be invited to sit in and observe by invitation.
Generally, board members vote on staff editorials, controversial approaches and other items as decided locally. On editorial board votes, the majority generally rules. It is not a typical practice for the editor to have veto power.
Reasoning/suggestions:
This process should be outlined in ethical guidelines and detailed in staff manual procedures. Having only student editors make decisions reinforces the open forum status for your student media.
Related:
These points and other decisions about mission statement, forum status and editorial policy should be part of a Foundations Package that protects journalistically responsible student expression.
Read MoreFake news is like a social disease;
we need to treat more than its wounds
by John Bowen, MJE
The spread of fake news is like a socially transmitted disease for which we now only treat the wounds, Kelly McBride, Vice President, The Pointer Institute, told those attending the Fake or Fact? workshop Sept.22 at Kent State University.
What we figure how, she said, is how to stop the epidemic.
McBride was one of 15 speakers who spoke and answered questions at the 13th annual ethics worker sponsored by The Poynter Institute and Kent State’s School of Journalism.
Archived video and resource materials are available here.
Simply defining fake news, McBride said, will not help the problem. Reaching students and young people through awareness and education will do more.
Fake news is a system of distribution, McBride said. The top 20 fake headlines were shared by 1.3 more people than the top 20 real heads.
Facebook and social media make it possible, Indira Lakshmanan, Newmark Chair in Journalism Ethics at The Poynter Institute told the audience of students, professionals and faculty.
Mizel Stewart III, Vice President, News Operations, Gannett and USA Today, said the distribution system that spreads fake news in its many varieties works because people don’t trust the media. A lack of media credibility led to fake news, even though it is not new, just further reaching because of new technology and the speed of information spread.
Mandy Jenkins, Head of News at Storyful, said journalists need to verify accuracy, be transparent about what we as news media know and seek authenticity of information and sources. We as audiences and journalists need to know who spreads information, what connections they have, who funds them, and what is the reality of what they are saying.
This causes diminished trust in legitimate journalism with potentially dangerous real-world consequences, Stewart said.
For example, reporters take more time to verify and fact-check and accuracy and context, have reduced capacity for original reporting, he added.
Because anyone can be a publisher, Stewart said at best society ends up with distortion, creating the need for knowledge and tools to identify fake information of all types.
Finding media and sources we trust and why, Jenkins said, is crucial to defeating mis- and disinformation.
Stewart added news systems are easily manipulated by those who best understand how they work, citing the rush to be first, omission of background or context and the fact people often supporting information or sites sharing what we already believe.
Other points shared by various speakers:
- Should media report everything the president tweets?
- Alternative story forms can be a good way to debunk fake news
- Share information about fake sites. Associated Press has a weekly story on What’s New in Fake News
- Once a reporter has exhausted Google, what are the next eight layers of information available for overlooked information (libraries, public records and hard copy data)
- The professionalism of information sites and sources is important, as is supporting their points
- Real journalists correct their mistakes. Fake news does not. Is the intent of the media to deceive?
- Too many reporters have no experience with sources lying or distorting. How do we train them to be aware of it?
- Spreaders of fake news are now using the First Amendment as a weapon against itself so fake news seems to equal real news
“The audience,” Stewart said in response to a question, “has been conditioned to expect opinion as journalism. How do we deal with that?”
For additional information and lessons on fake new prevention and identification, see our Tools of Truth fake news package,
Read More