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Situation definition
Controversies were raised after several newspapers showed pictures and names of children that were harshly beaten up by their father. A younger sister had to be hospitalized because of beatings, and photographs were taken during that time. She has provided information about the location of the body of the second girl. Moreover, the names of girls were revealed by a journalist when he or she stated that “the paper quoted Mira’s mother as saying she blamed Wadima’s grandparents for her death” (Child tells how dad tortured her sister to death, 2012, para. 6). The picture of Wadima eight-year-old (who died from the torture) and Meyra seven-year-old (a survivor) was first published in the Emarat Al Youm newspaper, and the story was covered in other forms of mass media.
Emirates247 showed Meyra with a shaved head and a burned arm, one of her many injuries. A severe injury can be seen in the second photo. In the third image, the child’s leg appears brutally burned (Sister, who escaped death by torture, 2012). The issue is that the information about the origin of such photos is not available, and the journalist wanted to stay anonymous. Some people say that the pictures should not be shown because the description of the situation is sufficient enough for an individual to understand the brutality these two girls had to deal with at home. However, other individuals say that it is entirely possible that this case would not be as huge if these images were not shown, and journalists wanted to make sure that the biggest number of people have an understanding of this problem.
Is it ethical for the journalist to show uncensored pictures and names, and invade the privacy of the girls that were abused?
Analysis of the Situation
Journalists have an essential responsibility, as they are the ones who provide the public with news and inform them about certain issues that are happening within their community. However, this responsibility can be critical. For a journalist to perform their duty they have to inform the public and to inform the public in a clear way they normally provide evidence such as pictures as they can be an effective tool in conveying the story to the society. A picture equals a thousand words case with the publishing the name of tortured girls and the photos shocked the public and became the reason for the burning discussions. Some people were sure that there was no need to publish the photos of tortured girls as the text was impressive enough to understand the level of violence. However, other people believed that publishing names and photos contributed to the creation of Wadima’s law directed to the protection of children who experience abuse. Publishing the photos might inspire new children-protection legislation. However, publishing such photos is an ethical dilemma. There are relevant arguments that can be used for the support of the journalists as well as against. Although from one side, the case inspired the public to fight the issue, which is beneficial.
To get better involved in the issue, the moral dilemma should be analyzed by the ethical theories, namely consequence-based theory, duty-based ethics, and Aristotle’s golden mean. The philosophy of consequentialism is based on the belief that the action can be considered morally right in the case it has positive outcomes. The theory is similar to utilitarianism that evaluates the morality of actions by the consequences it has (Mori, 2015). According to utilitarianism, it is acceptable to hurt one person for the sake of the majority or the benefit of the community. In the case of the torturing of children, it was necessary to publish the photos for the sake of other people who experience violence and awakening the public by drawing their attention to cruelty and abuse. Deontological ethics is focused on the obligation to act with the consideration of principles and rules (Misselbrook, 2013). The outcome does not play a vital role in this theory. According to this theory, the journalist had all the rights and responsibility to publish the names and photos. The primary duty of journalists is to provide people with the truth, no matter how cruel it is.
Journalists should save the balance between the respect of privacy and be reasonable, informative, and rigorous in their work (Plaisance, 2015). There are a lot of cases where journalists interfere in the privacy to provide the public with the material, the example of such a case is publishing names and photos of the tortured girls. The fundamental rule that the journalists should follow is respect and clear motives of investigations he should not interfere with the privacy of a person to satisfy personal interests (Black & Roberts, 2011). Privacy is considered to be everything that an individual does not want to make public (Plaisance, 2009). The utilitarian philosophy justifies the interference in privacy in the case of tortured girls as the photos were the stimulus for abuse protection programs to develop.
Aristotle’s theory of virtue suggests that every action that aims to reach goodness can be considered a positive one (Ward, 2011). The journalists published photos of girls before torturing and after to serve the citizens. The information is the most powerful tool in the hands of the journalists; they can only affect the public with strong arguments and bright stories. The pictures proved that the girl suffered, and people reacted. They understood that such approaches are unacceptable and, more importantly, it is difficult to believe that the family member could commit such a crime. The real names of girls and their photos contributed to the understanding that this case is real, and some actions should be taken to prevent such abuses. The objective and duty of the journalists were fulfilled. Society turned attention to the case and is fighting with the violence by improving policies and developing protection programs.
Decision
Journalists performed their job by Publishing the names and pictures of the tortured girls. It is their fundamental task and responsibility, to tell the truth, and to support the information with the photos for clearly understanding the level of significance of the content. Utilitarianism, as well as deontology, justifies the actions of journalists. Publishing the pictures led to the creation of the wadima law that aims to protect children who suffer domestic violence. It is worth highlighting that the consequences of the action of journalists’ were positive, and that is, it was the right and moral decision. Aristotle’s theory also justifies the actions of journalists as they were guided by good intentions and reached the objective. The public needs to have a stimulus to fight the violence. Abusive behavior is unacceptable in modern society; however, unfortunately, a lot of people experience violence. The tortured girls inspired the public, and the memories of the girls will be alive in the hearts of people who fight with the evil.
References
Black, J., & Roberts, C. (2011). Doing ethics in media: Theories and practical applications. New York, NY: Routledge.
Child tells how dad tortured her sister to death. (2012). Web.
Misselbrook, D. (2013). Duty, Kant, and deontology. British Journal of General Practice, 63(609), 211-215.
Mori, O. (2015). Axiomatic theories of utilitarianism and weak utilitarianism. Economics Letters, 137, 59-61.
Plaisance, P. (2009). Media ethics: Key principles for responsible practice. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.
Plaisance, P. (2015). Virtue in media: The moral psychology of excellence in news and public relations. New York, NY: Routledge.
Sister, who escaped death by torture, still cries in her sleep. (2012). Web.
Ward, S. (2011). Ethics and the media: An introduction. Cambridge, U. K.: Cambridge University Press.
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