News Ethics
"The Media's Foul Ball"
In 2003, the Chicago Cubs were minutes away from advancing to the World Series for the first time in fifty-eight years. However, when a young fan reached out to catch a foul ball, he stopped the cubs outfielder named Moises Alou from catching it, costing them the game. As the fan was escorted by security guards out of Wrigley Field, other furious fans threw debris at him, threatening him the whole way out. After extensive research, Chicago-Sun Times was able to identify Steve Bartman as the young man who had interfered in the Cubs game. The name, suburb where he lived, and workplace of Steve Bartman was released shortly after.
I do not think the media's actions were acceptable in the situation. By releasing Steve Bartman's name, he could now be identified as the man who ruined the Cub's chances at winning the World Series. As an obvious fan of the team, I have no doubt he was very ashamed of what he had done, making the publication of his name very embarrassing. The information of Bartman's neighborhood and workplace should also not have been included, for it could have the ability to put him in danger. An ethic of journalism is to minimize harm and respect others, which the media did no do here.
"Publishing Drunk Drivers Photos"
Don White was the editor and publisher of a newspaper in Anderson County, Ky when he learned that the movement to prevent drunk driving had become very ineffective. In hopes of helping the number of drunk drivers on the roads decrease, White began posting the names and mugshots of people convicted of DUI in the news. Month after month he continued to do this, hoping less people would drink and drive at risk of having their identity revealed in the paper.
I do not think it was ethically acceptable for Don White to publish the names and pictures of those convicted of DUI because it is an invasion of privacy. If someone had simply made a mistake and never done this before, they wouldn't want everyone knowing their personal business. This could also cause harm to a person of families' reputation. Publishing these photos did not minimize the damage done to the families or the drunk driver.
"A Congressman's Past"
It was revealed in 2004 that a Democratic member of the US Congress up for reelection was accused of sexual assault 28 years into his past. The congressman, David Wu, held a news conference saying it was a mistake he made when he was younger but that it is no longer relevant since it happened so long ago after an article was released discussing the rumor. The news is debating wether or not to publish the information they discovered, which is that David Wu was accused of sexual assault but no charges were pressed as a result.
I do not think it would be ethically acceptable to publish the article because it could cost David Wu his job, lively hood, and reputation. If the victim, his ex-girlfriend, was identified in the article, she could be brought into the situation as well,which is invading her privacy and embarrassing her. It would not be fait to David Wu or the victim, for they could be reminded of a bad time in their life, which could damage them emotionally. People voting or running against him in Congress could use this against David Wu, even though he was young and admitted to making several mistakes throughout his life. If they were to publish the article, the news should at least leave out the name of his ex-girlfriend to minimize harm. This way David Wu would be held accountable without dragging anyone else into the chaos.
In 2003, the Chicago Cubs were minutes away from advancing to the World Series for the first time in fifty-eight years. However, when a young fan reached out to catch a foul ball, he stopped the cubs outfielder named Moises Alou from catching it, costing them the game. As the fan was escorted by security guards out of Wrigley Field, other furious fans threw debris at him, threatening him the whole way out. After extensive research, Chicago-Sun Times was able to identify Steve Bartman as the young man who had interfered in the Cubs game. The name, suburb where he lived, and workplace of Steve Bartman was released shortly after.
I do not think the media's actions were acceptable in the situation. By releasing Steve Bartman's name, he could now be identified as the man who ruined the Cub's chances at winning the World Series. As an obvious fan of the team, I have no doubt he was very ashamed of what he had done, making the publication of his name very embarrassing. The information of Bartman's neighborhood and workplace should also not have been included, for it could have the ability to put him in danger. An ethic of journalism is to minimize harm and respect others, which the media did no do here.
"Publishing Drunk Drivers Photos"
Don White was the editor and publisher of a newspaper in Anderson County, Ky when he learned that the movement to prevent drunk driving had become very ineffective. In hopes of helping the number of drunk drivers on the roads decrease, White began posting the names and mugshots of people convicted of DUI in the news. Month after month he continued to do this, hoping less people would drink and drive at risk of having their identity revealed in the paper.
I do not think it was ethically acceptable for Don White to publish the names and pictures of those convicted of DUI because it is an invasion of privacy. If someone had simply made a mistake and never done this before, they wouldn't want everyone knowing their personal business. This could also cause harm to a person of families' reputation. Publishing these photos did not minimize the damage done to the families or the drunk driver.
"A Congressman's Past"
It was revealed in 2004 that a Democratic member of the US Congress up for reelection was accused of sexual assault 28 years into his past. The congressman, David Wu, held a news conference saying it was a mistake he made when he was younger but that it is no longer relevant since it happened so long ago after an article was released discussing the rumor. The news is debating wether or not to publish the information they discovered, which is that David Wu was accused of sexual assault but no charges were pressed as a result.
I do not think it would be ethically acceptable to publish the article because it could cost David Wu his job, lively hood, and reputation. If the victim, his ex-girlfriend, was identified in the article, she could be brought into the situation as well,which is invading her privacy and embarrassing her. It would not be fait to David Wu or the victim, for they could be reminded of a bad time in their life, which could damage them emotionally. People voting or running against him in Congress could use this against David Wu, even though he was young and admitted to making several mistakes throughout his life. If they were to publish the article, the news should at least leave out the name of his ex-girlfriend to minimize harm. This way David Wu would be held accountable without dragging anyone else into the chaos.
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