Thank-you for this. It's a necessary & timely look in the mirror that resonates now for many reasons. What clicked in it for me is the parallel with questions that those in the humanitarian profession have also grappled with for decades surrounding the use of graphic images to 'sell' their fundraising & advocacy efforts. Some 30 years ago the profession came up with a now-widely adopted 'Code of Conduct' that includes, among other norms of behavior, this undertaking:
"In our information, publicity and advertising activities, we shall recognise disaster victims as dignified humans, not hopeless objects. Respect for the disaster victim as an equal partner in action should never be lost. In our public information we shall portray an objective image of the disaster situation where the capacities and aspirations of disaster victims are highlighted, and not just their vulnerabilities and fears. While we will cooperate with the media in order to enhance public response, we will not allow external or internal demands for publicity to take precedence over the principle of maximising overall relief assistance. We will avoid competing with other disaster response agencies for media coverage in situations where such coverage may be to the detriment of the service provided to the beneficiaries or to the security of our staff or the beneficiaries."
That's the ideal, but it seems to be eroding fast. We're falling back on our old ways. The Code of Conduct is here if you're interested:
Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful comment - I had no idea about the code of conduct for humanitarian agencies, which of course are often working in parallel with news media. And yes these codes for everybody seem to be eroding fast. I hope this can be reversed.
This was thought provoking, I know it because I have so many questions. How does traditional media even begin to reconcile what seems to be like you said such an insurmountable problem. The three scenarios in your workshop presented serious moral and ethical implications, and they highlighted the importance of social responsibility in the age of social media. I enjoyed your piece. 🙏🏼
On a side note; the amount of damage that the words FAKE NEWS! has done to the institution of the fourth estate has been absolutely catastrophic.
Thank-you for this. It's a necessary & timely look in the mirror that resonates now for many reasons. What clicked in it for me is the parallel with questions that those in the humanitarian profession have also grappled with for decades surrounding the use of graphic images to 'sell' their fundraising & advocacy efforts. Some 30 years ago the profession came up with a now-widely adopted 'Code of Conduct' that includes, among other norms of behavior, this undertaking:
"In our information, publicity and advertising activities, we shall recognise disaster victims as dignified humans, not hopeless objects. Respect for the disaster victim as an equal partner in action should never be lost. In our public information we shall portray an objective image of the disaster situation where the capacities and aspirations of disaster victims are highlighted, and not just their vulnerabilities and fears. While we will cooperate with the media in order to enhance public response, we will not allow external or internal demands for publicity to take precedence over the principle of maximising overall relief assistance. We will avoid competing with other disaster response agencies for media coverage in situations where such coverage may be to the detriment of the service provided to the beneficiaries or to the security of our staff or the beneficiaries."
That's the ideal, but it seems to be eroding fast. We're falling back on our old ways. The Code of Conduct is here if you're interested:
https://www.ifrc.org/document/code-conduct-international-red-cross-and-red-crescent-movement-and-ngos-disaster-relief
Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful comment - I had no idea about the code of conduct for humanitarian agencies, which of course are often working in parallel with news media. And yes these codes for everybody seem to be eroding fast. I hope this can be reversed.
Loved this read; thank you for getting me thinking. Hope all is well!
Thank you KC for reading and for taking the time to comment 🙏🏼
This made me itch to get back in high school classroom (but that ship has sailed and too much has changed, sadly). Fantastic lesson plan material ❤️
Thank you.
This was thought provoking, I know it because I have so many questions. How does traditional media even begin to reconcile what seems to be like you said such an insurmountable problem. The three scenarios in your workshop presented serious moral and ethical implications, and they highlighted the importance of social responsibility in the age of social media. I enjoyed your piece. 🙏🏼
On a side note; the amount of damage that the words FAKE NEWS! has done to the institution of the fourth estate has been absolutely catastrophic.
Thank you for reading and for your thoughtful comments.
A tremendous history lesson and a warning.
Thank you Mark.