Ethics discussion
Pictures of the dead rarely appear in newspapers, and when they do there is always a backlash.
There was a discussion here a couple days ago about the use of a photo to go with a story I wrote.
Both can be found here.
We decided that since the family invited the photographer in, and wanted us to explain the Muslim burial process, it was right to use the photo.
I don’t really want to talk much about it, but this one of the ethical decisions journalists face from time to time.
There are a lot of misconceptions about Islamic culture, and this was an opportunity to explain an extremely important tradition, and so there was a lot of pressure for the story. Being there, it was remarkable to see the difference between a Muslim service and the many Christian funerals I had been to. It seems like the norm to have someone at a funeral home handle someone who has died, but in Islamic culture, family and friends come together for it.
It goes wonderfully with the story and puts a (partially obscure) face on someone who would just be a statistic. In the case of such a bizarre and senseless crime, it helps us focus more on the victim than the manner in which he died.
tor
March 15, 2009 at 4:33 pm