While that is undoubtedly true, there is an old saying about good intentions and the road they pave. With that in mind, newsrooms should, as Schwitzer wisely recommended, have conversations about journalism ethics “before events take place - not during or after.” Journalist-doctors going into situations like the one Haiti should, in other words, have a pre-existing sense of when to intervene in medical emergencies and when not to, as well as when to cover those events and when not to.
[Update — 1/25, 1:30 p.m.: The Society of Professional Journalists, one of the U.S.’s largest and oldest journalism organizations, issued the following statement on Jan. 22 regarding journalists’ work as physicians in Haiti:
“The Society of Professional Journalists applauds the efforts of all journalists in Haiti who are working tirelessly to report the aftermath of last week’s devastating earthquake and the ensuing aftershocks. However, SPJ cautions journalists to avoid making themselves part of the stories they are reporting. Even in crises, journalists have a responsibility to their audiences to gather news objectively and to report facts.”]
It's commendable the medical part of their activity at the site (Gupta, Ashton, and all the rest)but the moral/ethics predicament could clash or arise where another journalist, let's say with military training, is confronted with a situation of help one person in a military conflict. Help or assist anyone could be an ethical problem if you are there to report. This is an interesting point to analyze and discuss with Journalism' students and scholars. Raymundo Pedraza (Former Journalism and Ethics professor at Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico).
#1 Posted by Raymundo Pedraza, CJR on Thu 21 Jan 2010 at 10:13 AM
But what about patients' privacy? It seems that in exchange for medical care, the earthquake victims give up their healthcare privacy. It is helpful for the world to see the extent of the disaster and the pictures convey the urgency of need. But some of it seems to not even consider that privacy is as valid in a disaster as in any other healthcare setting. And since they're real doctors, they would normally be fully aware of privacy issues. There are ways to photograph injuries while masking patient identity. That's the standard for medical publications, signed consent or at least masked identity. For patients lying on stretchers perhaps unconscious (the injured who cannot give full consent to photography), I think they should make more of an effort to conceal their identities or move the camera away from patients who are not fully clothed, for example.
#2 Posted by MB, CJR on Thu 21 Jan 2010 at 03:12 PM
The first publisher I ever had taught me that I am a human being first, a citizen second and a reporter third. If there were ever a train derailment in our town (a distinct possibility) and people were injured, he said he expected his reporters to be ready to hold a hand or offer a blanket before getting quotes and pictures. During a major humanitarian crisis, journalistic ethics is not the first thing about which I'd be concerned. Important, yes ... top priority, no.
#3 Posted by Kristen, CJR on Fri 22 Jan 2010 at 02:09 PM
Journalism is not as simple a pursuit as the proponents of objectivity like to think. Journalism is practiced by humans, not objects. I blogged on this issue: http://bit.ly/7YO8rK
#4 Posted by Steve Buttry, CJR on Sat 23 Jan 2010 at 03:14 PM
Get to know about Writings Centre company and decide to buy essays for college in order to gain essay paper or order term paper help from the reliable company. I guarantee that you will gain great essay service. when you have got troubles with essay writing come to Writingscentre company to buy term papers
#5 Posted by MorrisNanette23, CJR on Fri 29 Jun 2012 at 10:44 PM