Quake reporting raises concerns of media ethics
Updated: 2008-06-11 17:19
As for working journalists, they receive little training in how to report disasters.
Training programs at news organizations tend to focus more on technical skills such as how to write, or how to edit a story, but rarely touch on the issue of journalistic ethics.
Reporters who flew to the quake-hit zones within hours of the quake said they had no training regarding disaster reporting because there was no time.
Some reporters also exposed their ignorance when they covered the earthquake, in one case costing a man's life.
Wang Gang, deputy director of the Wolong District Police, was killed by the propeller of a plane carrying relief material after he pushed away a photographer who was standing too close to the aircraft.
When the Russian rescue team saved an earthquake survivor, one rescuer shouted angrily to the cameras because the strong lights could have damaged the survivor's eyes.
On the Internet, posts condemning reporters who insisted on talking to survivors after they were rescued after more than a hundred hours buried in the debris were repeated.
One reporter pushed himself into an operating theater to interview a doctor, who responded furiously that the reporter had contaminated his sanitized operation gown.
Chen says ethical problems have come with the development of China's media. In the past, most media outlets were funded by the government.
As China's economy grows, the government has reduced its funding and the media have become more profit-driven and commercialized. Though still owned by the government, media outlets operate more independently to finance themselves. They use stories that will most appeal to their audiences, sometimes with sensational headlines or images.
In 1991, the All-China Journalists Association issued the code of ethics that requires journalists to serve the people, adhere to the "right direction of public opinion", observe laws and regulations, ensure the accuracy and veracity of reports, resist corruption and promote teamwork.
"But this code has not been modified with the development of Chinese media," Chen says. "The earthquake has blown up some already existing problems."
He points out: "Cases of insensitive reporting attract attention and they will surely serve as an opportunity for the media to reflect on strengthening their ethics."
Yu Guoming suggests that news organizations begin to establish detailed disaster reporting plans. These plans should include guidelines for reporters when they arrive at the scene, how editors in the newsroom work effectively with reporters in the front and codes of ethics when covering disasters.
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