Monitored:
http://www.philstar.com/supreme/2013/11/30/1262400/atom-araullo-tvs-unexpected-leading-man
This is an article from Philippine Star feauring Atom Araullo, who recently shot to fame after covering Typhoon Yolanda.
There is a part of this article that reminded me of the early discussions we had in Comm 110. Atom was asked with reference to an ethical code where you must keep distance from a story.
Reaction:
I remember a similar question arising in class, when a classmate shared what he saw on tv: a reporter who took a footage of an injured man, and bandaged him, only to leave him behind to cover other happenings during the storm. Is it really enough to explain that it is not the journalist's job to save the person[1]? Is it fair to say there are much other things to cover? To be fair, my classmate wasn't really clear about the whole story.
And so the class agreed that the journalist faced an ethical dilemma.
Coming across Atom's answer, I think he gave a wonderful insight to share to my class.
Let's go back to Classmate's example. The injured guy wasn't the only one injured. The journalist wasn't Superman. And saving that guy meant needing to save other people as well. But if no other person could've done so, the jousnalist shouldn't be fired for helping out. At the end of the day, Atom's right. The job of a journalist is still to pass help to the people. And we do that by telling their stories.
[1] I shall not let personal motives or interests influence me in the performance of my duties; nor shall I accept or offer any present, gift or other consideration of a nature which may cast doubt on my professional integrity. Philippine Press Institute Journalism Code of Ethics
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