Provide examples of things journalists should not say or write when covering a severe and traumatic incident.
Journalists need to avoid reporting issues that compromise their impartiality. For instance, when a reporter claims that a particular sexual violence case took place because of the victim's negligence, it may sound like they are trying to judge them. Journalists also need to avoid covering inaccurate information because it may mislead the public (Nah & Craft, 2019). When children are part of the interview, it is always necessary that journalists should avoid broadcasting them without their parent's consent. Informed consent is another issue that will enable a journalist to promote fairness. Respect and privacy are critical when writing or reporting about a specific event (Ferrucci, Tandoc & Schauster, 2020). Journalists need always to respect people and avoid providing information that may add up to a violation of their privacy. Personal attributes require critical handling by a journalist because of their impacts on victims' lives. Allowing the victims to decide what they need a journalist to cover may serve to be a right move in this situation.
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How does the media influence our views of crime victims? Do any specific crimes make us more likely or less likely to believe a crime victim based on what you've learned in this course?
Media plays a role in portraying victims of crimes as either the causes or contributors to several activities that many communities may reject. Violation of privacy may make the public develop negative attitudes towards a person because of information that may seem biased (Nah & Craft, 2019). Victim-based crimes such as sexual assault may sometimes put a victim in a position where the public views them as the wishers of what took place. Media has a role of promoting fairness by ensuring they cover information that does not encourage accusations and convey information the public needs to receive (Ferrucci et al., 2020). Media may make people develop negative attitudes through their disrespect for victims when reporting different events, resulting in the public developing the same attitude. When people tend to view a victim negatively because of how media broadcasted an event that affected them, stigma may arise in their lives. Involvement of communal traditions in deciding on issues to report will help protect victims against stigma.
References
Ferrucci, P., Tandoc Jr, E. C., & Schauster, E. E. (2020). Journalists Primed: How Professional Identity Affects Moral Decision Making. Journalism Practice , 14 (8), 896-912. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2019.1673202
Nah, H. S., & Craft, S. (2019). Unpublishing the News: An Analysis of US and South Korean Journalists'' Discourse About an Emerging Practice. International Journal of Communication , 13 , 21. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/10786
