Is what I am reading or seeing real and should I be even seeing this?

Gregory York 

gy0258518@ohio.edu

 

In our first class we learned about Jason Blair at The New York Times fabricating a number of articles. Then this week in the lecture, we discuss how Mary Mapes was fired and Dan Rather left CBS News after they and others reported untruthfully about President George Bush’s service in the Texas Air National Guard. 

Another example of untruthful reporting is Jack Kelly of USA Today fabricating articles over many years. He had even earned a nomination for a Pulitzer Prize for one of his untruthful articles. It is challenging to find the truth not only in traditional news media stories but also with videos and photos. A moral struggle also exists for those who post graphic images or videos. 

Yesterday, the mother of Bianca Devins filed a lawsuit against Oneida County in New York State along with officials for its “reckless dissemination of evidence” to media. Devins’ murderer videotaped him stabbing to death Ms. Devins. He also videotaped them having sex before he killed her. Clark posted disturbing and graphic images of Devins on Snapchat and Instagram which led to others reposting the images.

Journalists and media platforms have a moral obligation to determine the purpose of posting graphic images, videos, or photos. Vicki Kruger in a July 11, 2017, article in Poynter describes 11 questions to ask before sharing graphic videos and photos. Questions include will the posting help explain a story or provide a benefit to the community? Is there an alternative to posting the content? When do you cross the line when appealing to an audience’s desire for details? How do you respect the privacy of the victim and family?

One has to question the reliability of photos due to manipulation. Photos can be cropped, retouched, and modified making it difficult to tell if the image is real or not. A very small percentage of journalists and media companies have and use social media verification tools. A need exists today to develop more tools to determine if a photo has been manipulated.

Picture source: Scitech Daily

 

People deserve to know the truth and not be manipulated by false news stories or images. Graphic images create a moral struggle. Those who post such images need to think about what benefit is being provided while respecting the dignity of the victim and their family.