PressEthic

In a recent column in Philadelphia Weekly, writer G.W. Miller III addressed the dilemma that faced photojournalists and reporters covering the school shooting in an Amish school in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Though journalists have a duty to document breaking news, the ethical decision of whether or not to aggressively document a community with unique moral restrictions and religious beliefs had to be made.

Miller reports that during the funeral procession for the victims, journalists remained respectively quiet:

“It’s a sign of respect for the grieving community of intensely private people who suffered an extremely public tragedy—the murder of five young girls and the serious wounding of several others in a one-room schoolhouse in nearby Nickel Mines. It’s an acknowledgement of a religious order’s isolationist traditions, a recognition of their way of life.”

But despite the reserved behavior of reporters, photojournalist continued to cover the procession.

“…at the same time the video cameras keep rolling and the still photographers keep snapping images despite knowing the Amish don’t want to be photographed. They say it’s against their religion.”

Though all of the recent tragic school shootings have made national and international news, the one that hit the Amish community is arguably the most interesting to document, especially with photographs. One British reporter told Miller that, “The fact is that it’s a community that most people in Britain have no contact with, so there’s a natural curiosity.”

The question for journalists, Miller asks, is when does respecting your subject’s religious beliefs clash with the duty to cover a story?

"The media cannot ignore an execution that happened in a school,' says Susan Schiller, vice president for news at KYW-TV. 'Our journalists are completely aware of Amish culture, and they’re doing their best to respect that. At the same time, they’re trying to do their best to cover this horrific situation.'"

So far, reporters and photographers seem to have lucked out with such an accommodating and sincerely friendly community who understand that while their religious beliefs and lifestyle naturally clash with our culture of media exposure, the two groups have found a way to meet somewhere in the middle.

It’s a relief to see that most journalists have respectfully held back a bit on this story. It's one that needs to be covered, but not over exposed.