EDITOR'S TAKE By GEMMA BAGAYAUA  Shocking images—however gory they may be—do have drawing power   When I opened my e-mail a day after the MV Princess of the Stars capsized, what greeted me were photographs of the bloated bodies

EDITOR'S TAKE By GEMMA BAGAYAUA 

Shocking images—however gory they may be—do have drawing power
 

When I opened my e-mail a day after the MV Princess of the Stars capsized, what greeted me were photographs of the bloated bodies of victims of the tragedy.

They were not images of tarpaulin or cloth-covered bodies with only the hands and feet sticking out, the kind you normally see on TV. These were full frontal pictures of dead people, naked. They were sent in by readers who took the photographs with camera-phones.

This brought to mind a discussion I had with fellow journalists from various countries at a month-long training seminar I attended in Stockholm City years ago. The conversation revolved around the ethics of covering disasters and accidents and included sub-topics on what images and information one can publish.

It turned out that the way a journalist covers events like disasters and accidents differs from country to country. In the end, we agreed that the way a journalist reports about such events would depend on these factors—the unique dynamics of disaster response within that particular country, the extent through which communication systems allow authorities to communicate with the next of kin of victims, and the particular society’s standards of decency.

As to the issue of whether one should publish the names of victims in a disaster or accident, our Irish colleague insisted that this should not be done until the next of kin is informed. In countries like Sweden, he said, the thinking is that it is better to let the family find out first that their loved ones have died, rather than have them read about it in the newspaper.

On the other hand, my Pinoy colleagues and I said that in the Philippines, media agencies will tend to immediately release the names of the victims as soon as their identities are confirmed. To a certain extent, we argued, it is also part of information dissemination—very important in a country like the Philippines where not everybody can be reached by phone.

Instant gore

Photographs of victims are another complicated matter. Shocking images—however gory they may be—do have drawing power. This is why reality shows are getting a lot of eyeballs. Many of us may publicly disdain the gore—but in the comfort of home, the little voyeur lurking within ourselves makes us take a peek

In the online world, this is what media companies have to contend with.

The lure of turning those images into page views can be very tempting. And in the age of web 2.0, where just about everybody can publish anything online, it is not as if journalists have control over what images become public.

As this case shows, ubiquitous camera-phones have turned every person who happens to be at the scene into a potential reporter. Youtube, Flickr, Multiply, Kyte and various other online services have given each "citizen journalist" the capacity to publish not just text but also images, video and sound on the World Wide Web. And mobile broadband services enable them to do this from virtually any point in the country almost instantly.

So should journalists succumb to this lure? Should we publish images of victims in disasters and gory accidents at all?

Doesn’t feel right

Unlike the average netizen, journalists are supposed to adhere to certain ethical standards. They are supposed to have the sworn duty to treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect.

Victims of disasters are usually at their most vulnerable. And journalists are supposed to be sensitive to their plight.

But as said earlier, the leeway given each journalist may vary from country to country. Too, the answer to this question might differ in each news organization and would depend on the inclinations of the newsroom leaders.

Some might also argue that every situation should be considered on a case-to-case basis and that, sometimes, showing images of the dead may be necessary in reporting the news.

In this particular case, I e-mailed the senders thanking them for their contributions. But I told them we couldn’t use the photos out of respect for the dead. 

It didn’t feel right. And my take is, if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.

In the end, whenever we are placed in a situation in which we have to make choices, each of us has to be governed by his or her own conscience. 

Editor’s Take, written by the editors of abs-cbnNEWS.com, is a discussion of media issues meant to let you, our dear readers, know how journalists work.