PressEthic

As journalists, we will encounter many stories that will be difficult to deal with- riots, homicides, assaults, and natural disasters. But when you happen to see a child get hit by a car, does a journalist continue filming, or do they run to the victim’s side? In an editorial in The Seattle Times http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002519151_fancher25.html?syndication=rss&source=seattletimes.xml&items=142 about Hurricane Katrina, Mike Fancher said that journalists must do their jobs even when faced with scenes of disaster. As expected, readers reacted with criticism.

All of us came to the field of journalism with our own agendas; but most, if not all of us have entered this industry to help members of society in some way or another. As a public servant, and usually among the first to witness breaking news, we serve society with the information they need to make decisions. However, one must question what duty has more precedence in times of crisis. The ethical conflict of choosing to help the victim on the scene or stay on the assignment is an inevitable situation. And the answer is not always based on principles or a journalist’s inner voice.

This is a serious conflict that must be addressed in ethics classes in order to better train members of the media. What are we to do when such a situation presents itself? It is an issue that media professionals must seriously think through before it actually occurs. We, as professionals, do not want to become so-called “ambulance chasers of the press” only there to “sit on the sidelines and file stories of the tragedy without lifting a finger to provide real help”. There are good journalists out there who simply just don’t know what to do.