Exposing Victims

This semester I see that Communication Law and Media Ethics go hand and hand. Example, you don't use ethics then someone might have to bring the law in. As I listen to my professor tell us what journalist can and cannot publish one case stuck out to me. The Cohn Vs. Cox case.

A young lady by the name of Cynthia Cohn was raped and murdered in Sandy Springs, Georgia.  Thomas Wassell a WSB-TV reporter, broadcast the victims name while reporting during the hearing. Cynthia's dad sued WSB-TV and the reporter for violating the shield law.

It is actually legal to report a victims name in a rape/murder case. In the end the court favored Cox and and the Cohn's actually lost the case. Wassell obtained the victims name by going to the open court and getting the right name. This is protected by the 1st amendment.

Even though reporting a victims name is legal, is it still ethical? Most newspapers still don't publish names of victims even when it is legal. You have to think about the grief and loss of families have a occurred. As a Journalist I would never expose a victim, especially when it is a rape/ murder victim. 

Sometimes even when things are legal and ok to report on, you have to use care ethics and truly think of what damages could be caused. 

The "FAKE" Story

The on and on topic we discuss in class weekly has finally been brought to a stage at Florida A&M! A play title "THE STORY" is about a journalist who fabricates a story and doesn't reveal a source to add suspense to this amazing news story. The play is based off of a infamous incident of Janet Cooke.

What makes this play a great show to watch is that journalist get a inside look of how lying plays out in the newsroom. The main character Yvonne lies and doesn't report the truth in here article that has been published. To add more drama the publish article gets praise and accolades and now Yvonne is really under fire.

Just as janet Cooke received her Pulitzer prize for her article, she had to come forward and reveal her scandal. Cooke later went on a talk show and said she lied because she felt pressure from her news room and wanted to make a cutting edge story.  With this in mind fabricating stories doesn't make a story any better than a story about a cat getting rescued from a tree. Cooke should have used the SAD model to weigh her options while reporting.

it is only a matter of time before the newsroom will catch suspension of a fake story. Who are the sources? When did this happen? All these questions arise whet the story is published.

In the play the ending leaves you on cliff wondering hat Yvonne did to hide her lies. After seeing what happen to Cooke in real life you can pretty much imagine what might have happen.

REPORT AND SEEK THE TRUTH JOURNALIST!

As the paper turns

Print has become a popular way to distribute news to people for many of years. As time moves forward and technology advance moving to online for news is the new route in obtaining todays news.

Washington post recently have took action in improving their paper by replacing Marcus Brauchli with Martin Baron. Due to drops in revenue, new competition with Politico, and not enough funds from there Kaplan program, new changes are inevitable.

Not only are the obvious money problems but also personal problems have surfaced wit Brauchli. Newsroom editors thought Brauchli was distant, and with Ms.Weymouth (granddaughter of the post publisher) making him make newsroom cuts that Brauchli was uncomfortable with it was only time that changes would happen.

As a journalist in the newsroom how do you handle taking on decisions that you are not comfortable with? This is when ethics come into play in deciding how to handle people and news when reporting.
Making sure that your character is fair, and staying true to the code of ethics should always be a to priority.

Marcus Brauchli/ www.newyorktimes.com/

Brauchli who left The Wall Street Journal in 2008 to join the post will still be working with Baron.  Baron says he looks forward to working with a historic newspaper.