Reports have been swirling Tuesday that the White House plans to release photos, and perhaps video, of the military raid on Osama bin Laden's hideout, leaving newsrooms with the important decision of how and when to use graphic content with extraordinary historical impact.
For the White House, releasing the photos is a dynamic and complex decision with far-reaching consequences if not handled correctly. The same can be said for newsrooms, if the photos are made available.
On Tuesday morning, White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan said on Good Morning America: “We are looking at releasing additional information, details about the raid as well as any other types of material, possibly including photos. We want to understand exactly what the possible reaction might be to the release of this information.”
Similar discussions are occurring in newsrooms around the country as we speak. Earlier today, I took an informal poll of some well-respected news directors in and around the RTDNA community, who were promised anonymity when I asked, simply: "If [an Osama bin Laden death photo] emerges, are you going to / would you use it on air or online?"
Here are some of the responses I got:
"Yes. Because it's history. Depending on graphic nature, [we] would consider making it a separate click [for online]."
"It depends on how gruesome it is. While the photo is clearly of historical significance, and clearly is newsworthy, we must always bear in mind our responsibility to use good standards and judgment about what’s appropriate.
"We would use it. It's an important document of the hunt/killing. I worry a bit about retaliation for the use of it, but once it's out there, it's out there and individual media using it won't make that worse."
"If it's an authentic photo (there are a lot of fakes out there), we'd probably use it on our website -- no doubt with some sort of advisory in the link warning about the gruesome content of the image. I'd have to see the photo before deciding if it would be run on air ... or it would need to be cropped, etc. The public has already viewed the horrible images of 9/11, the video of Saddam Husein's execution, as well as the dead bodies of his sons."
"At first thought, yeah, I'd use it. Factors that would weigh in a final decision: Authenticity - if the photo is released by the White House, then that's authentic enough for me. Released by anyone else, I'd scrutinize it. There's already at least one viral fake out there. Graphic nature of the photo - I'm sure it won't be as simple as a peaceful-looking photo. He was shot above the eye [according to reports.] We'll have to weigh that factor too. It's [also] worth having a discussion of sensibilities to Muslims."
The reality is that if and when the White House releases the photos, they will quickly be among the most-viewed, and perhaps most scrutinized, pictures in history. However, news organizations still have the extraordinary responsibility to take into consideration some key ethical questions before making the pictures a part of their on-air broadcasts or online content.
Ultimately, like any major ethical decision, the appropriate course of action is unique to each news outlet and should consider the following:
1) What would be the journalistic purpose behind broadcasting or publishing the Osama bin Laden photos?
2) Do the pictures clarify and help the audience understand the story better?
3) A lot of people have said that broadcasting and publishing the pictures will help bring closure to the families and friends of September 11, 2001 victims. Others have said it will help eliminate possible conspiracies that Bin Laden is still alive. Is it a news organization's job to provide that closure and debunk potential political conspiracies?
4) Should either of those reasons be the primary reason for releasing the photos or does broadcasting and publishing them simply give the public the most information possible to make an informed decision about a historical event?
5) On the other end, does withholding the pictures contribute to any conspiracies or give the audience the perception that your news organization is?
6) What are some ways to use the photos? Do they have to be used front-and-center or are there other alternatives? Options may include cropping the photo to be smaller, using black and white instead of color, or placing the photos in a secondary location that requires the audience to read or listen to a disclaimer and click through to view the content, if it's on the web.
7) What do you tell people within the newsroom or your audience members about your decision to use or not use the photos? Are you willing to make that rationale public and who will make the announcement?
8) Does this story carry enough historical significance to justify using the photos? The answer here may appear obvious, but be prepared to answer, in detail, the question, "why?"
9) Are you going to use the photos in file footage later on? How often? On what platforms?
10) Will you try to confirm the authenticity of the photos beyond the government's word that they are, in fact, real?
11) Does publishing or broadcasting the photos in any way compromise the identity of the military members who participated in the operation? If yes, would you still use the pictures?
12) How will you, if at all, present your audience with a disclaimer about the content they are about to view. And would you consider using the content only in later newscasts to avoid showing the graphic content to young children?
13) On radio, how graphic will you be in describing the photo to your audience and will you refer them directly to a web page to view the pictures? Will the photos come via a separate click?
14) What if multiple photos are released and one is less graphic than the rest. Do you use only what you deem to be the most sensitive photo? All of them?
15) Should your news organization consider the potentially violent repercussions that may occur as a result of the photos' broadcast? Is it the individual news outlet's responsibility to prevent extremist behavior in that regard?
16) Is your news audience of a religious faith that would take extreme offense to viewing graphic photos? How will you consider that, if so?
17) Would you consider running a separate package or story about the photos' release and audiences' reaction to it?
18) Similarly, how will you moderate online comments about the photo?
19) How will you incorporate social media into this? Will you publish the photos on Twitter and Facebook? How will you respond to your followers and fans in the event they disagree with your decision?
20) How will you confirm the authenticity of the photos if they are leaked early? Who in your newsroom is ultimately in charge of giving the go-ahead to use the photos?
By Ryan G. Murphy taken from http://www.rtdna.org/pages/posts/20-ethics-questions-to-consider-before-using-osama-bin-laden-death-photos1342.php
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