Joe's Fourth Disscusion  Joseph  Male  5/6/2016  8:32:11  AM      In the world of journalism, there are some stories that you simply have to critique  or censor. While this may seem counterintuitive to our industries need to maximize  truth­telling, it is important to remember that we have a huge impact on how the people  in our stories are perceived by the general population. For me, there are several red lines  that must be considered before publishing a story. First and foremost, it is important to  ensure accuracy in your reporting. If any material, photograph or otherwise, is used in a  manner which will misinform or mislead your audience then is not appropriate. It is also  considered unethical by the standards set out by most professional journalists. An  example would be in the code of ethics as set out by the Society of Professional  Journalist. According to this code of conduct a journalist should, “…Make certain that  headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound  bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight  incidents out of context” (Jaquette, 2007). To misrepresent an issue is the same as lying  about an issue. That is something that no honorable and professional journalist should  do. This is especially true when it comes to photographs. They are easily manipulated by  a savvy mind.    Second, I feel that children should be given special consideration when reporting  on a story. They have their whole lives ahead of them and we all know what one bad  news story could do to a person’s future. Imagine what that kind of negative publicity  would do to a child. It would shape their future in ways we could not account for nor  imagine.    While lastly, I feel it is important to give special consideration to those who  cannot defend themselves. Much like children, the old and infirmed are in considerable  danger of being used and manipulated by a savvy reporter. Of course, there are  exceptions to these moral and ethical considerations. Some of you may be old enough to  recall Geraldo Rivera's exposé documentary of the Willowbrook State School. In it, Mr.  Rivera utilized shocking and horrifying footage of the conditions inside this mental  health facility. While these images may not have been the best representation of these  poor individuals, it did serve to shock the public into taking action. Eventually, these  individuals were removed from this hell­hole and given the proper medical treatment  and facilities that they deserved as American citizens. Overall, it was only by crossing  that thin red line that Mr. Rivera was able to affect change in an otherwise complacent  and apathetic nation.  References  Jacquette, Dale. (2007). ​Journalistic Ethics: Moral Responsibility in the Media​. (1st  Edition). Retrieved  fromhttps://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780558693404/cfi/4!/4/2/8/6/2/2/2/[email protected]:0        Respond  The Red Li.

1. Joe's Fourth Disscusion Joseph
Male
5/6/2016
8:32:11
AM
In the world of journalism, there are some stories that you simpl
y have to critique
or censor. While this may seem counterintuitive to our industrie
s need to maximize
truth-telling, it is important to remember that we have a huge im
pact on how the people
in our stories are perceived by the general population. For me, t
here are several red lines
that must be considered before publishing a story. First and fore
most, it is important to
ensure accuracy in your reporting. If any material, photograph o
r otherwise, is used in a
manner which will misinform or mislead your audience then is n
ot appropriate. It is also
considered unethical by the standards set out by most profession
al journalists. An
example would be in the code of ethics as set out by the Society
of Professional
Journalist. According to this code of conduct a journalist should

2. , “…Make certain that
headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video,
audio, graphics, sound
bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not overs
implify or highlight
incidents out of context” (Jaquette, 2007). To misrepresent an is
sue is the same as lying
about an issue. That is something that no honorable and professi
onal journalist should
do. This is especially true when it comes to photographs. They a
re easily manipulated by
a savvy mind.
Second, I feel that children should be given special consideratio
n when reporting
on a story. They have their whole lives ahead of them and we al
l know what one bad
news story could do to a person’s future. Imagine what that kind
of negative publicity
would do to a child. It would shape their future in ways we coul
d not account for nor
imagine.
While lastly, I feel it is important to give special consideration t
o those who
cannot defend themselves. Much like children, the old and infir
med are in considerable
danger of being used and manipulated by a savvy reporter. Of c
ourse, there are
exceptions to these moral and ethical considerations. Some of y
ou may be old enough to
recall Geraldo Rivera's exposé documentary of the Willowbrook
State School. In it, Mr.
Rivera utilized shocking and horrifying footage of the condition
s inside this mental
health facility. While these images may not have been the best r

3. epresentation of these
poor individuals, it did serve to shock the public into taking acti
on. Eventually, these
individuals were removed from this hell-hole and given the prop
er medical treatment
and facilities that they deserved as American citizens. Overall, i
t was only by crossing
that thin red line that Mr. Rivera was able to affect change in an
otherwise complacent
and apathetic nation.
References
Jacquette, Dale. (2007).
Journalistic Ethics: Moral Responsibility in the Media. (1st
Edition). Retrieved
fromhttps://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780558693404/cfi/
4!/4/2/8/6/2/2/2/[email protected]:0
Respond
The Red Line Tamika
Mahome

4. s
5/5/2016
6:16:36
PM
Photojournalism is still a form of journalism and should still be
held to guidelines for
those who produce and share images. As professionals, one shou
ld one should focus
on meeting ethical standards and sharing news through photo in
the best way as
possible. According to John Owen & Heather Purdey: “Photogra
phy, like writing or
broadcast journalism, is fairly straightforward. What makes som
e photojournalists
exceptional is not their artistry but their point of view and the c
onviction and integrity
with which they deploy the language of storytelling” (Owen & P
urdey, 2009).
In my opinion, there should be red line in photojournalism, just
as there are red lines on
the writing and broadcast side of journalism. One big thing I bel
ieve is that under
sensitive situations, a person’s face should not be shared. It is i
mportant to protect the
privacy of people, and sharing their pictures without permission
is not a sign of integrity.
In addition, I believe that photojournalist should also consider t
he story behind the
picture. If there was a murder, there is no need to put a photo of
the dead person in a
paper just to give the reader a visual. It is important to use discr

5. etion in the photos that
are shared.
I believe that images that are shared by journalist should be one
s that hold a standard
of integrity. Owens & Purdey mention: “The future is bright for
photojournalism, and, at
its best, it is still without doubt the purest and noblest of all con
temporary forms of
journalism” (Owen & Purdey, 2009). When photojournalism rem
ains in a form that is
pure and noble, the images are able to reflect such.
References:
Owen, J. & Purdey, H. (Eds.). (2009). International news reporti
ng: Frontlines and
Deadlines. Malden, MA: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tamika Mahomes