Issue of Journalism: Legal

There is a vast argument about the journalism. Is it better to believe in moral rights of reporting, or because of the freedom of speech, reporting information is justified. The right to freedom of speech has existed in the United States for centuries. But there are several ways that the government can silence people that abuse this freedom. The debate that has progressed throughout the years has been whether reporters having the right to freedom of speech, but should they need authority to be able to write about certain private matters. For example, a reporter has found a story that, if told, would destroy a family or reputation. This situation is often occurs to most celebrities. The reporter writes an exaggerated image or story that blows up in the news. Celebrities, much like other people, would not like to have their personal affairs in the media. Elected politicians have argued against the tabloids as well. These politicians however are putting themselves in the public’s eye as public officials. Citizens have the right to know what their state and national leaders are doing with their tax money.

One issue, in journalism, the privacy issues. The identities of rape victims are mostly remained nameless. These identities are not discussed because of the integrity of the victim. The trauma that these people have gone through is horrific, and reporters don’t want the victim to get anymore upset or unstable. It is more beneficial that the names are heard. When a news report is heard on the radio or television saying, “Women Raped in Park” it doesn’t seem real. By giving the victim a name, people are more likely to recognize that something is wrong. It would also help the victims. By hiding and not talking about the issues, they are leaving the public with no information about how to prevent situations. By having victims talk about their story, they can help defend against future rapes. In article that explains another side to keeping rape victims nameless illustrates that by doing so the victims do not appear ‘damaged’. Families of rape victims are also spared from humiliation.

Haws, D. (1996). Rape victims: papers shouldn't name us. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-18690653.html

It is clearly an issue of who is going to speak up for what reasons. According to Melvin Mencher, “Morality is basic to the theory and practice of journalism” (Mencher, 2008). Mencher explains that reporters should be moral, but they also can be legal. It is understood that there are some boundaries that reporters should not cross, but they still have the right to cross these boundaries and report their information for the public. But to justify which is more standard, it is the freedom of speech. Reporters are given the same rights as other people when writing about their views and ideas.

Mencher, M. (2008). News reporting and writing. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.