Ethical Decision-Making in Times of War

Rachel Link

rl250109@ohio.edu

Journalists reporting on the front lines of war are risking their lives in order to report the truth to the American citizens. There are more journalists killed in war today than ever before, but there is also the most transparency between the military and U.S. citizens in our history. The importance and bravery of embedded journalists should be recognized by all U.S. citizens, because they are risking their lives so that we can be fully informed during times of war.

Although most people would support the fact that the American public has the right to be informed about the U.S. military and what is going on during wartime, there are many critics that say journalists compromise the military's ability to do their job free from interference. Some U.S soldiers even have their reservations and suspicions about journalists reporting from the front lines.

According to blogger Kari Livingston, journalists' cameras put the troops in danger because they attract attention. In this week's reading, a contributing blogger to The New York Times who is a U.S. soldier writes about similar experiences in which journalists have compromised the safety of his squadron by releasing the names of those killed in combat or by leaking confidential information that could put many soldier's lives at risk.

Secrecy vs. Transparency

Public opinion on the home front is crucial during times of war. When national will subsides it can, in turn, affect soldiers will, so they rely heavily on embeds to relay messages back home that are as accurate as possible. However, many military operations require the element of surprise and, therefore, secrecy.

As journalists reporting during wartime, we must balance the need for secrecy within the military with our responsibility of transparency and truth when reporting to the public. We must take into consideration our ethical codes and values when making decisions about what minimizes harm to the military while reporting the truth to our audience.

We must also do our best to maintain credibility within the U.S. military. Media relations with soldiers should remain positive so that we can get accurate information and in-depth stories and interviews. We should be working with the United States military, not against them.

The Ethics of Wartime Journalism

The Society of Professional Journalists' website has a specific set of ethical values that journalists should strive to abide by when reporting in times of war. These values should lead journalists to ask these questions:

• What is the motivation in publishing or suppressing information or graphics?
• What is the government/military's motivation for suppression?
• How reliable is the information?
• What is the balance between the importance of the information and the harm of publication?
• Are there alternatives to be considered (to accommodate government concerns, omission of details, delayed release, etc.)?

These questions should be posed before any information or graphics are published in times of war. 

The ethical values that the SPJ provides to journalists during wartime should aid their decision making processes so that they can fully report the truth to their audience, maintain positive media-military relations, and minimize the harm and endangerment that their stories may cause soldiers overseas.