Tags
Image from The New York Daily News
Journalism is a profession of ethics. There are a list of rules that journalists must follow as they go off into the world of reporting. The Society of Professional Journalism has put together this Code of Ethics:
-Seek Truth and Report It
-Minimize Harm
-Be Accountable
Recently, there has been an argument about whether or not Anderson Cooper’s decision to put down his video camera, thus abandoning his duties, in order to save a child who was being attacked by looters in Haiti should be commended or condoned. I believe that he fulfilled his duties as a journalist by seeking the truth and minimizing harm. By putting down his video camera and getting involved, he crossed a line, yes, but he also acted as a human.
We must remember that these guidelines we place upon ourselves, whether we are journalists or medical doctors or politicians, are all superficial lines. We may be getting paid to do another job, but money itself is also superficial. It is a man made invention. It is pretend. It only has as much value as we are willing to give it. However, the disaster going on in Haiti, the suffering of the innocent–that is real. That is human.
In this article, Cooper is quoted saying, ”"I saw him collapse. More chunks of concrete were being thrown at the looters on the roof. The injured boy couldn’t get up. He’d try and then collapse again. Blood was pouring from his head. He was conscious but had no control over his body. I was afraid someone on the roof would see him lying there and throw another cinder block piece onto him. I was afraid he’d get killed. No one seemed to be helping him.”
Cooper’s decision to help the boy was a human decision. At their core, aren’t journalists supposed to serve the people? They are supposed to report what is happening in the world around them, they are supposed to inform, and they are supposed to help by writing constructive and powerful pieces. But writing and reporting would not have saved this boys life. That took a human touch.
