A journalist's guide to staying ethical while reporting during a war

Ethics always plays a big role in any type of journalism, but when it comes to reporting during a war, ethics plays an even bigger role. Most people overlook the role of ethics, but it really is an important aspect of journalism. Being a journalist and having to report during a war can be a very tricky thing. Should you take the picture of kids bodies on the ground? Should you ask to interview a person who just had an encounter with an explosive bomb? Are you stepping in on people's privacy just to get a story? All these questions and more are ones that go through any journalists mind when they are reporting during a war or on the battlefield. But how are they supposed to know when too much is really too much? When reporters are out there during a war, they run into many ethical issues that sometimes, in the moment, you just may not know what to do.
        Christopher Hanson, a journalism professor at the University of Maryland, used to be a war correspondent. Hanson traveled to many places and covered many wars, one being the Gulf War, and wrote a lot about his experiences at all these different places. When it comes to taking pictures during a war, Hanson believes for the most part it is okay.
A student at the University of Maryland, Allison Wyand, also gives her input on whether or not she believes journalists should take pictures during a war and she talks about how sometimes it just is not worth it.

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A good journalist knows what is right from what is wrong.
Journalists should always make sure they know what they are getting into before they do something. A good way for a journalist to make sure they are doing the right thing is to check the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics. This is a great place for a journalist to check if what they are doing is appropriate. The Code of Ethics provides four main points for journalists to refer to, to make sure they are being the most ethical. They are to seek the truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, and to be accountable. Some things within those four main tips include familiarizing yourself with the country ahead of time before you go there, ensuring you are getting the right information and checking to make sure it is accurate before you do anything with that information, being honest with the public and the people around you, and showing compassion for the people affected by any news coverage. It is imperative that any journalist knows the 'Code of Ethics' before they do anything because it can get them into serious trouble if they do not.

The main goal for the journalist is to get their job done. 
Ultimately, a journalist just wants to do his/her job. This is where it becomes very tricky because how well is their job getting done if they are in a place of great tragedy and can't do anything about it. Although journalists need to be ethical, honest, etc. it is not in their "job description" to really help anybody out. So does that mean they are not allowed to help anybody out if they are in need? Professor Hanson speaks about this and gives a great tip about when to help someone out and when to just do your job.
   
When it comes down to it though, it is important to remember that we are all people and that we do have to look out for each other. Another helpful tip is putting yourself in the shoes of the other person. As a journalist, you have to do this a lot because sometimes when you are just trying to get a story out there so your boss doesn't fire you, one can get caught up in the moment. Imagine you were at war and just witnessed your best friend's death. Then imagine a reporter coming up to you minutes after asking about it. You probably would not want to talk about it right away, or ever for that matter. Journalists need to be extra careful with this because sometimes they can offend people and never end up getting what they came there for in the first place.

Always remember to be impartial and fair.
The most important thing for a journalist is to not be biased. It is ok to take a side on what you are reporting on, but biases will usually get journalists in trouble. If a journalist comes across a serious issue where a bias might need to be taken, the least one could do it admit to it. That will at least reassure the audience. As a journalist, you want your readers and audience to be able to connect with you and feel as though they are there with you in that moment. They are not going to be able to do that if your story, news article, etc. isn't the fairest it could be. Just as any journalist should be, journalists that are war correspondents need to be extra careful when it comes to doing their job. They can encounter many events and situations where something can be taken the wrong way and the journalist can get in trouble. As long as journalists remember the Code of Ethics and stick to doing their job the right way, they won't get in trouble and will do their job of informing the public about what is going on around the world.

Expert Videos for final project

Question 1: How do you as a reporter chose whether or not to help someone while you are reporting during a war?


Question 2: How do you decide whether or not to take a picture while reporting during something very horrific? Question 3: I am aware you reported during the Rwandan Genocide. How did you find yourself able to develop and write a story while so many tragic things were happening around you?

Ethics in war journalism part 2

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Opinions on journalists reporting in war

listen to ‘Opinions on journalists reporting in war ’ on Audioboo

The role ethics plays in war journalism.

When it comes to ethics and journalism, many people don’t really understand the role it plays and what it has to do with journalism, especially war journalism. When it comes to a journalist reporting a story on a war or specific event that is happening, when is it right for a journalist/reporter to ask questions and get the full scoop?  Many people don’t realize it, but sometimes just asking a simple question or taking a quick picture is too much. A simple question of what is free press comes into play here because technically we are allowed to the freedom of speech, but how would one feel if they were in that specific position. 

When journalists are reporting on a story in a war they have to be especially careful not to cross any boundaries. Yes, the job of a journalist is to get the story out there to the public, but sometimes too much really too much. How would you feel if you were in that position where you and your family is going through something very tragic, and there is a journalist trying to take pictures and ask questions while you are going through this very tragic time? What most journalists do not realize is that they sometimes have to put themselves in the shoes of the people that they are reporting to see how it really feels. According to the Ethics of Journalism, journalists should seek the truth and report it, and also be honest, fair, and courageous in gathering and reporting information. I plan on researching more and finding when it really is okay to report something in the war and when it is too much. 

Expert Questions: 

1. When it comes to war, and a journalist reporting in the war, when do you think it is ok for them to cross the boundaries to just get the story out there to the public?

2. How do you put your feelings aside when you are reporting on something very tragic? Do you have to learn to just ignore it to get the story or can you help your interviewee when something serious happens? How do you as a journalist cope with that? 

Social Media, "Back in the Day"

 It is hard to believe, but social networking sites have started a while before Facebook and MySpace. Even though people in our generation are familiar with the sites mentioned above, social networking started to blossom earlier, and we just were not aware of it. It is unsure what the exact date is of the first social networking site because online dating sites are considered social networks, but Six Degrees is considered the first “modern” social networking site. It was launched in 1997 and allowed users to create a profile and become friends with other users, essentially what Facebook does for us in today’s day in age. Six Degrees went off the idea of “six degrees of separation” and allowed you to send messages and post bulletin board items to people in their first, second, and third degree groups. However Six Degrees did not last that long, as it shut down in 2001. Although the site did not prove to be so popular, at one point it reached its peak at around a million members.  

After Six Degrees went public, other social networking sites started to become better known and out there for more people to use.

Another popular early social networking site that came about was Friendster.com. Friendster went public in 2002 and allowed users to contact other members of the site just like the other social networking sites. Friendster also permitted users to share videos, photos, and comments with other users of the site. An interesting thing about Friendster was that is also acted as a dating website and allowed its members to discover new events, bands, hobbies, and etc. Friendster gained much publicity as it had around three million users within the first few months of starting. Friendster started to grow so popular that Google offered to buy it out in 2003, but they declined and continued on their own. They have gotten a lot of funding from other companies, but their decision to stay private instead of selling to Google is considered one of the biggest mistakes. Friendster.com still remains active today, but has just been pushed back behind more popular sites like Facebook and MySpace.

Even online dating sites are considered social networks and have been around for much longer than we think.

Similarly, a popular and older social networking site was created called eCrush. eCrush is considered a online dating website which is comprised of two major sites, eSPIN.com and eCRUSH.com. eSPIN took on a “spin-the-bottle” approach where users would simply spin the bottle to find other users to be matched up with. So the two merged and stayed with the name of eCrush and is a site where the user creates a list of people they are interested in and they can send an anonymous email to any of those people. This would indicate that they have a “crush” on them and if two people select each other, then it is a match. eCrush was launched on Valentines day of 1999 and currently the site is no longer in use.

Social networking sites come and go

Just as Friendster and Six Degrees had their run, so will other social networking sites. I think a reason why sites like those aren’t as popular today is because something new and more advanced has come out to replace it. If you think about it, Friendster is just like Facebook, but Facebook allows its users to do so much more. It one-upped Friendster and MySpace and all the other sites in between. That is why Facebook is so hot right now and all those older ones are not. With new technology arising every day, people are always trying to one-up their competitors. Mark Zuckerberg had the chance to do that and made Facebook such a popular site that even our grandparents have Facebook’s. But Facebook is already starting to see its course run out. People are already finding and using new social media websites like Twitter and Instagram that are starting to outshine Facebook. In an interesting article in Yahoo News, they talk about how Facebook is losing its popularity. Facebook has seen a 1.1% drop in U.S. users and has been ranked below Google+ in an American Consumer Satisfaction Index. I think it is only natural that new websites and trends come about every couple of months. People get sick of things quickly, just as things get “old” quickly. It is just the way the world works, something new and better will always attract people. I think the old social media websites like Friendster and Six Degrees could have gained the popularity of Facebook, but they have been replaced. Friendster at a point had one million users and Six Degrees attracted a lot of people, but they have been substituted by a newer and better social media website. 

Michael Hart, the inventor of eBooks and a true inspiration

Michael S. Hart was originally an author, but he is now best known for his invention of the electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart is also known as the founder of "Project Gutenberg" which is meant to encourage the distribution of eBooks. Hart was born on March 8, 1947 in Tacoma, Washington. 

He studied at the University of Illinois and graduated in two years, where he came up with the idea of “Project Gutenberg” and this is where it flourished. 
This is also how the invention of eBooks was started. At the University of Illinois, Hart was given unlimited computer time on what was like a large Xerox type of computer. Hart tried many things with this unlimited computer time, but it wasn’t until he was given a copy of The Declaration of Independence at a local grocery store that he found his inspiration. He typed the text onto the computer and made it available to download. It was only after six people downloaded his text that the first eBook was created. 

Hart was considered a futurist and technologist because of his interest with technology. 
According to his Obituary, Hart “constantly looked to the future, to anticipate technological advances.” He really looked up to his parents who were both professors at the University of Illinois and inspired him every day. Some unusual aspects about Michael Hart’s life are that he “glided through life with many possessions and friends, but very few expenses.” Instead of taking medicine when he was sick, or bringing his car to the body shop when it broke down, he did everything on his own. He preferred home remedies to taking medicine and going to the doctor when he was sick. He also would fix his own cars and home when things were broken or wrong. He was more of a do-it-yourself type of guy, and I think that is what made him be able to invent such a great thing like the eBook. Hart also built many radios and computers on his own. His desire to do things on his own is why I really believe he is a futurist and a very smart, advanced man.

            As mentioned above earlier, Hart is no longer alive. Michael Hart passed away on September 6, 2011 in his home in Illinois. He was 64 years old when he passed away. It is said that he passed away due to a heart attack. Hart can truly be considered a wonderful man of his lifetime. Without him we would not have what we know today to be eBooks.  Something wonderful that Hart said on his personal website that I really find inspiring is “If what you did yesterday still seems great today, then your goals for tomorrow are not big enough.” I really find true motivation and inspiration in these words that Hart has said and I think that he really was a legend that many people can look up to. We all have him to thank for the wonderful creation of eBooks.