To Share, or Not to Share, That is the Question

Alyssa Keefe
ak757211@ohio.edu

Recently, I was skimming through my Twitter feed when I came across a link to a video through a news site. The video was the graphic beheading of U.S. journalist James Foley by the ISIS. It had been watched and shared numerous times by people all over the world and many news outlets continued to share still images and the video of the brutal incident. Most news outlets have since taken down the video, however some news outlets preferred to continue sharing. This conflict has produced a huge debate on whether or not sharing gruesome footage is considered ethical.

   Photo credit: SITE Intelligence Group via Associated Press

One of the biggest ethical challenges journalists face today is the notion of minimizing harm. As journalists, our main duty is to tell the truth. How we tell the truth depends on our own ethical values and morals. How far we go with a story depends on the code of ethics that we personally follow.

According to the Guiding Principles for the Journalist, the core values for minimizing harm in journalist are as stated:

• Be compassionate for those affected by your actions.
• Treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect, not merely as means to your journalistic ends.
• Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort, but balance those negatives by choosing alternatives that maximize your goal of truth telling.

Should the media post gruesome images and videos to inform the public? Should the public watch these murders out of curiosity? There are no rules that can help journalists in this kind of situation. The journalist can either decide to share or not to share. Taking a look at the 'Minimize Harm Value', as a journalist, I believe this is an extreme ethical issue.

Be compassionate for those affected by your actions

It is questionable whether the news stations that decided to share the videos and images are compassionate or respectful to those affected. They chose to do their job and inform the public of these murders, as the public has every right to know. They chose the story over the possible effects that could hurt the family members of the victims involved. And despite our opinions on the matter, that was their decision, not ours.

Treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect...

Think about what the family of James Foley is dealing with at this very moment. Someone lost a brother, a son and a friend, and his graphic death went viral over the Internet. Imagine if this was your family member. Foley's family would want him to be remembered by his dedication to journalism, not how he died. Respect is a huge issue when it comes to sharing devastating stories and sometimes respect is not the journalist's first priority.

Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm...

As a journalist, you must decide what is ethically right or wrong. You have the power to choose what you decide to share to the public and what should not be shared. Journalists need to remember to be conscious and know that what they might show to the public could potentially hurt someone. Journalists should be aware of the possible consequences and own up to their work and mistakes. They have a moral obligation to seek alternatives that will minimize the harm they cause or will cause in the future.

Coming across heartbreaking stories, videos and images that could potentially harm the source of subject is inevitable. How journalists choose to share them is based on their own personal code of ethics. To hide the truth from the public would be wrong, but to share the graphic truth to the public is also wrong. It is a tough decision for the journalist. To share, or not to share, that is the REAL question.