Right To Be

By: Kristin Heinichen

Right To Know vs. Right To Privacy

At the very least, a journalist should make an effort to serve the best interests of the reader, all the while doing little harm in the capturing of content and ultimate portrayal of a story. This code of ethics ain't no stumper - it appears as a component in the Journalist's Creed: "...the journalism which succeeds the best-and best deserves success... is journalism of humanity." The media should be regarded as an outlet for respectful news coverage, not a source for sensationalized stories which broadcast the details of an individual's privacy. In the case of Privacy vs. the Public's Right to Know, revealed names and graphic imagery had little importance other than it attempted to make for an entertaining story. What it did was humiliate loved ones and mortify those directly impacted by these printed stories.

A 'for instance' is the case of an attempted suicide on the campus of Ohio University. The local media covered the event where a man threatened to take his life in a public space. The Athens Messenger - your neighborly neighborhood newspaper - chose not to run the photo of the man dangling from a high height. The area's bi-weekly newspaper, The Athens News, ran a photo of the man in the middle of the his second, and unsuccessful, suicide attempt. Ultimately and unfortunately, the man ended his life. What The Athens Messenger considered was the man's shaky grip on his life. In attempts to tell the truth, the journalists at the Athens Messenger considered the welfare of this man and society.