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HOW ETHICS INFLUENCE
REPORTING ON HEALTH ISSUES
Ileana Oroza
January, 2010
THE ELEMENTS OF JOURNALISM
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Journalism's first obligation is to the truth.
Its first loyalty is to citizens.
Its essence is a discipline of verification.
Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover.
It must serve as an independent monitor of power.
It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise.
It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant.
It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional.
Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience.
(Citizens, too, have rights and responsibilities when it comes to the news.)
Tom Rosenstiel, Bill Kovach
9. JOURNALISTS MUST BE ALLOWED TO
EXERCISE THEIR PERSONAL CONSCIENCE
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Every journalist should have
a moral compass, a sense of ethics
NECESSARY CRITERIA
IN A SYSTEM OF ETHICS
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Shared values, derived from
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Wisdom
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Fairness
Freedom of choice
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Standards based on reason and experience
Balance between the rights of the individual and the needs of society
Moderation
Justice
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Family
Peer groups
Role models
Societal institutions
Ability to exercise powers of reason without coercion
Accountability
ETHICS IN JOURNALISM
Main thrust of codes of ethics is to ensure an
organization’s
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Credibility
Fairness
ETHICAL BEHAVIOR IN JOURNALISM
Is related to the day-to-day work:
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The quality/purity of reporting
Vigilance for inadvertent bias
Independence
The purity of the published image
WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND
IN COVERING HIV/AIDS
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Sensitivity of story
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Myths
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False hope
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Transmission of HIV/AIDS
Causes of AIDS
Quackery
Jumping to conclusions from new information
Stereotypes and generalizations
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Reporting on individuals, not anonymous groups
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“Fringe groups” and the “Us vs. Them” syndrome
Improper use of language
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Victimization
WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND
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Vulnerability of many subjects
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Often tied to gender issues
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Illness
Stigma/discrimination
Fear of ostracism or worse
Sexual preference
Impact on women
PRIVACY
PRIVACY AND THE LAW
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Privacy refers to speech that does not
damage a person’s reputation, but
subjects a person to shame,
embarrassment and/or humiliation
Laws aim to protect the dignity of the
individual
PRIVACY TORTS (in U.S.)
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Disclosure: Publication of an intimate or private matter
such as one’s private sexual affairs or the health of an
individual and/or his family, which is not already known
to the public, and the disclosure of which is offensive to
a reasonable person
Appropriation: Use of a person’s name or likeness or
other highly personal material, without permission
Intrusion: Invasion of an individual’s private space or
physical solitude in order to gather information
False Light: Publication of half truths or distortions of
the truth that give an incorrect impression about a person
PRIVACY AND THE LAW
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It may be legal
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In the U.S., Courts tend to side with the media on
privacy issues
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Public’s right to know
BUT IS IT ETHICAL?
IT’S LEGAL, BUT IS IT ETHICAL?
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Many newspapers have a policy of not
publishing names of rape victims. Some
journalists believe this is not a good policy.
What do you think?
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
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What purpose does the revelation serve?
What harm will it do?
In the case of a public person, how does it
relate to the performance of his/her duties?
How relevant is it to the story?
APPROACHING HIV/AIDS
STORIES
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Sensitivity
Develop trust based on knowledge and respect
Be aware of who it is you are interviewing
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A regular villager
The minister of health
No surprises
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Make sure you have permission to disclose identities
Make sure the subject understands what that permission involves
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That might include the subject’s family
“Cures" and treatments demand particular scrutiny and
should be reported critically
APPROACHING HIV/AIDS
STORIES
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Don’t give up too quickly on finding named
sources and examples
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Look for alternatives
If you need to grant anonymity, make sure
there are sufficient named sources in your
story so that the story has authority
WHAT READERS COMPLAIN ABOUT
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Anecdotal ledes that take one side
Labels or shorthand description (ie: Crimeridden neighborhood)
Heavy reliance on one group of sources
Limited representation of certain groups
Lack of balance
Headlines that over-simplify
SOURCES
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Louis Alvin Day, Ethics in Media
Communications: Cases and Controversies
C. Christians, K. Rotzoll, M. Fackler, K
McKee, R. Woods, Jr.: Media Ethics: Cases
and Moral Reasoning
Renata Simone: “HIV/AIDS Reporting
Basics”
Kaiser Family Foundation: “Reporting
Manual on HIV/AIDS”