Newsgathering and Writing | In-Class Assignment #12

💬 Week 13

Tay Yee Shien 0341472

Newsgathering and Writing: In-Class Assignment #12

Case Study Ethics

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1. Do you think Erickson made the right choice in deciding not to publish the shoe print? Why or why not?

Yes, I think Erickson made the right choice not to publish the shoe print. Even though reporting on the shoe can potentially help identify the culprit sooner. The downside would be that he is part of the audience, so he may hear the news and plan to destroy the evidence, which is the shoes. Thus, leading the authorities in a direction further from finding him. Particularly in cases such as this, where the stakes are literally a matter of life or death, you want to go with the option that minimises most harm. So even though Erickson did not report the whole story, following the guidance of the investigators who have more experience with crime, it can lead to a safer method and shorter time for the authorities to find the killer as they already got one piece of evidence down. Not only does it protect public order but also prevents the culprit from slipping away and potentially changing his identity.

2. Think about the three principles brought up in this case from the SPJ Code of Ethics. If two or more ethical principles are in conflict, how should reporters decide which to prioritize?

Media reporters and police officials can work hand in hand with communication and consultation with each other. The police officials may have experienced dealing with the crime, so they may understand the methods that would help catch the culprit faster and inform the reporters what is best to report or keep a secret in that case. Reports can help the authorities by publishing the right amount of news that the public needs to know while cautiously releasing the information that would benefit them the most, and prevent mass panic. Reporters can also promote awareness and educate people on how to protect themselves from these instances and dangers that have been going around, while police officials arrange for more security, especially in targeted areas, so that the public feels safer. 

3. How might media reporters and police officials work together to ensure the public is both informed and safe without endangering the progress of investigations?

Media reporters and police officials can work hand in hand with communication and consultation with each other. The police officials may have experiences dealing with crime so they may understand the methods that would help catch the culprit faster and informing the reporters what is best to reported or kept a secret in that case. Reports can help the authorities by publishing the right amount of news that the public needs to know while cautiously releasing the information that would benefit them the most and to prevent mass panic. Reporters can also promote awareness and educate people how to protect themselves from these instances and dangers that has been going around while police officials arrange for more security especially in targeted areas so that the public feel safer. 

4. Do the ethical guidelines that journalists ideally operate under help or hinder their activities in an environment saturated in digital information and social media?

In the digital era where news can be spread very fast, it can both hinder and help their activities. If journalists want to interview a certain group of people online and lie about their identity just to get the information that they want, that would be unethical. Moreover, reporters and citizen journalists should be honest in what they post online to prevent the spread of false news. That is why citizens can count on news organizations to organise the information. For instance, The Star has gone online and also has social media platforms to report news that is immediate, reliable, and accurate. Most adolescents who like to go on to social media can check the latest trustworthy news from these news media social media accounts.