One of the hardest things a journalist has to do is cover death, which may lead to many common mistakes seen by the public. When journalists chase just the story, whatever they think would look good on television and use it. It also means they may invade the personal space of grieving people. This approach is commonly seen when a journalist reports on a mass shooting and covers the shooter more than anything. This situation happens because the shooter is the more prominent and accessible story. The focus on the shooter can also lead to unconscious racist assumptions from the reporter, according to Journalistsresource.com, which says that one example of this is the Vegas shooting in 2017 carried out by a white, non-Muslim shooter and the Orlando shooting of 2016 carried out by an American Muslim of Afghani origin. The Muslim shooter of Afghani origin was more likely to be labeled a terrorist, whereas reporters didn't label the white, non-Muslim shooter that way. There are a lot of other examples where things like this happen. In a terrible situation, journalists should focus on the main story, and attention should be on whether the media was racist or not, instead of focusing on those who lost their lives or their loved ones. Talking to loved ones is probably the most challenging part of this because it seems like there is no way for you to fit into it and not disrupt someone who is already in a lot of pain. Also, it's tough for a person to approach another person about something after a loss like that. Especially when the reporter feels they are doing it for their benefit to get the story that they have to get. There are guidelines on doing this from places like Poynter.org, which says things like being transparent about who you are and why you are talking to them, and even what your story is. Reporting a story like this requires all reporters to be very careful because everything is magnified in those situations. That means that a good story is perfect for people, but a bad story is damaging to people.
It is so important to cover traumatic events with the level of nuance that they deserve. The temptation to give a voice to those in need is enticing, of course. But not all people effected want some of the worst moments of their life to be publicized. I feel like an ethical balance includes shooting photos of tragic events, yes, but also receiving consent from those worst effected before publishing the photographs and the story.
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