Aspects of Media Ethical Dilemmas

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Perception by Different Stakeholders
Truth Continuum Placement of the Articles
Truth-Telling Vs. Privacy Respect
References

Introduction

Although media ethics are regulated by a set of professional conduct principles, the approaches to solving ethical dilemmas depend on journalists judgment, which predetermines the perspective from which situations are approached. As it is evident from the media coverage of KTLA anchor Chris Burrouss death, the difference in approaches has varying impacts on stakeholders involved. While all three sources have a goal of informing the audience of Burrouss passing, the extent to which they unveil the details differs depending on the context, the sources relation to the anchor, and the target audience. The most significant difference in the storys portrayal in the three articles is the approach to depicting ethically sensitive details related to the late news anchors private life.

The video material created by the KTLA 5 (2018) channel where the deceased worked contains multiple positive stories commemorating the legacy of the talented anchor. Since the media practitioners behind this source are Burrouss peers, their goal is to emphasize his contribution to the profession and cherish his personality regardless of the conditions under which he died. Consequently, the video portrayal of the story delivers the truth by avoiding the details about death but providing much detail about the anchors life.

The second story, the Los Angeles Times version, was more descriptive about the coroners report and delivered a general description of the private-life circumstances surrounding Burrouss death. The fact of the overdose is stated, the placement of the drug and the fact of sexual intercourse with a man in a hotel room are introduced briefly at the beginning of the article (Winton & Reyes-Velarde, 2019). The remaining part of the article is devoted to the anchors career achievements and legacy, leaving the readers with feelings of sympathy and sorrow for the loss.

The third article published by City News Service (2019) demonstrates a more descriptive approach, where the authors disclose private details of the intercourse between the two men, the drug intake process description, and other information of private character from coroners report. Immediately after describing the circumstances of death, the authors tell readers that Burrous was married and had a 9-year old daughter, thus amplifying the moral judgment in the readers (City News Service, 2019). Therefore, the three stories provide the same facts but with different extent of detail delivery, purposefully using the information interpretation for the target audience.

Perception by Different Stakeholders

As a journalist, I prefer the Los Angeles Times presentation of the story. In my opinion, it is the most balanced approach to the portrayal of the anchors personality and the controversial circumstances of his death. Without significantly breaching privacy, the journalists deliver the truthful story and highlight Burrouss contribution to his profession, thus commemorating him and not blaming him for the immorality of his actions. Average consumers would probably prefer City News Services (2019) article simply because it provides much detail and aims to answer all the questions concerning how the event happen, who was involved, and other issues. It targets human curiosity and provides readers with the information they expect to receive when they are delivered the news about the untimely death of a famous person. However, as a member of Burrouss family, I would prefer the KTLA 5s (2018) presentation of the story because it omits the painful and provocative details and encourages the audience to respect the anchors legacy, personality, and private life.

Truth Continuum Placement of the Articles

Truthfulness is one of the essential elements of journalism. The truth continuum ranges from telling the complete truth, telling incomplete truth or white lies, telling lies with no intention to deceive, to deliberate deceiving through lies. When placing the stories within this continuum, City News Services article is at the complete truth side of the continuum. The Los Angeles Times article might be placed between complete truth and white lies, while the video material tells the truth. Indeed, Burrouss colleagues do not address the circumstances of the anchors death, thus delivering incomplete truth. Ultimately, given the discussion of the truth-telling and the ambiguity of ethically sensitive topics in media, I prefer the Los Angeles Times story. The reason for such a choice is to validate by the comparative non-disclosure of all the private details of the anchors death while emphasizing his public achievement. Thus, preserving the principles of responsible and accurate journalism, Winton and Reyes-Velarde (2019) manage to address the interests of all stakeholders involved.

Truth-Telling Vs. Privacy Respect

The portrayal of the same story about the death of a news anchor by three different media sources demonstrates the variety of approaches to revealing truth and balancing truth-telling and privacy respect in journalism. When considering the right to privacy, the obligation to loyalty and the duty of truth-telling, the values that determine my decision are loyalty to citizens with respect for privacy. The violation of privacy to deliver a truthful story might depend on a particular situation and the analysis of stakeholder interests. In the analyzed case, The Los Angeles Times article provides an honest story with some respect for privacy and with some withholding of details to respect the feelings of family, friends, and fans of the anchor. Overall, withholding the whole truth without deceiving the audience might be justifiable when respecting the right to privacy.