Case
Study 4-B: What Would Socrates Have Done? The Disappearance of Hillary Clinton
Image Source: CBS News
Iconic photos represent specific, momentous events in a
visual way that others can then view now and forever in history. This case
study is specifically about the iconic photo taken of President Barack Obama
and his cabinet watching live footage of Osama bin Laden’s compound. In the
photo, on the table before them are important, high-security informational
documents which were distorted prior to the release of the photo in order to
keep the information private. When a Brooklyn-based Hasidic newspaper, Der
Zeitung, released the photo in their newspaper that serves a “small segment of the
ultra-orthodox Jewish community,” they photoshopped out Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton and Audrey Tomason, director for counterterrorism for the U.S.
Security Council (94). Their reasoning was that their paper “serves a
readership that places a high value on female modesty”. However, critics cited
that the paper has a history of editing out women because “the publication
itself has an ideological objection to women holding positions of power”.
Micro Issue #3
Would it have been appropriate for the paper to simply
crop the picture on the right-hand side, thus cutting out the images of Clinton
and several others and resulting in a photograph that focused more specifically
on President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden?
No, I don’t think that in either circumstance the alteration
of the photograph is justifiably appropriate. It misrepresents the moment but
also the current state of affairs (ie: women in positions of power
traditionally held by men). Because of their profession, journalists have two
distinct responsibilities: telling the truth, and a “greater obligation to
foster political involvement than the average person” (84). In either
representation of the photograph, they are not fulfilling these two
responsibilities; they are misrepresenting the truth by omission which hinders
their readers from being fully politically involved.
Midrange Issue #2
The doctored photograph was brought to the attention of
the wider public when it was reported—critically—in other newspapers. What is
the role of these other newspapers with regard to Der Zeitung and readers,
viewers, and listeners?
I believe that newspapers need to critically analyze one
another in order to maintain fair, balanced, and accurate reporting. Creating a
filter bubble of information is unfair to readers, viewers, and listeners, as
it impacts their ability to participate civically. Journalists need to hold
each other accountable in order to maintain their loyalty to their profession
(telling the truth) and to the people.
Macro Issue #1
This same event—the death of Osama bin Laden—became controversial
for another reason: The White House refused to provide photographs of bin Laden’s
corpse or his burial at sea? Some journalists—in many countries—supported this
approach; others disputed it. How would you analyze the White House approach in
your role as a journalist? In your role as a strategic communication
professional?
If assessing this as being either want to know, right to
know, need to know, I’m sure that arguments could be made for all. I believe
that if someone wants to see the photo, they should have the ability to access
the photo through something like the Freedom of Information Act. However, I
think it would be potentially offensive to some people to publish the photo on
the front page of a newspaper. If the photo exists then people should be able
to see it if they so choose; perhaps making it available in an archive or
somewhere on the internet with a graphic content warning would be a good
compromise.
Conclusion
Ultimately, I think it is inappropriate to alter photos of historic moments regardless of ideology. If it were absolutely necessary, and if Hillary Clinton was actually immodestly dressed, then I would think they could caption the photo explaining why they chose to alter her out of the photo.
Case
Study 6-A: The Truth about the Facts: PolitiFact.com
Image Source: humanevents.com / PolitFact.com
Washington D.C. Bureau Chief Bill Adair, Tampa Bay Times, launched
a website called “PolitiFact.com” in 2007. The goal of the website was to
assess the validity of political claims and statements. PolitiFact.com is known
for its “Truth-O-Meter”, a scale for ranking the validity of a claim that
ranges from true to “pants on fire”. The website was awarded the Pulitzer Prize
in 2009 for its fact-checking initiative during the 2008 presidential campaign.
Micro Issue #3
Why is the truthfulness of a statement examined in a
separate news story instead of becoming part of continuing coverage? Is this approach
ethically defensible?
I believe that Bill Adair and the Tampa Bay Times created PolitiFact.com
to fill a void in political reporting. This is because “mass media have become
the primary source of political information” (137). This problem with this is “news
stories about elections emphasize strategy and tactics rather than stands on
issues” (134). Journalists also face the problem of “being discreet in their
news coverage” even when candidates are not, in order to avoid slipping into “tabloid
journalism or the domain of gossipy blogs that cast doubt on our journalistic
motives and credibility” (138). I would say that this approach is ethically
defensible because of the lack of coverage on substantive information provided by
the mainstream media. I visited the website, and each claim has a substantial
amount of information proving or disproving its validity.
Midrange Issue #3
Adair has said that he believes the site would not be as
successful without the Truth-O-Meter, even though he acknowledges that truth is
often more subtle than a simple rating would indicate. Do such sites need a
gimmick to cut through the clutter of political speech today? Can such gimmicks
be ethically justified?
In the case of PolitiFact.com and the Truth-O-Meter, I
believe that the use of “gimmicks” is ethically justified in that it engages
citizens in the political process in a way traditional news reporting does not.
Many people report receiving the bulk of the political information from
advertising and late night comedians. Not to mention the rise of data
visualization as an effective tool of digital journalism. I think that in this
scenario, the use of the “gimmicky” Truth-O-Meter helps PolitiFact.com
effectively stand out from other news sites.
Macro Issue #2
Evaluate this statement by James W. Carey in light of the
efforts of PolitiFact.com: “There is no such thing as a fact without context.”
This quote from James W. Carey is exponentially relevant in
thinking about the discourse presented by PolitiFact.com through its “Truth-O-Meter”.
Upon visiting the website, I learned that you can view all statements evaluated
by the site or you may opt to view by the level of validity to the claim, such
as “true,” “mostly true,” “false,” “pants on fire,” “half flip,” and “full
flop.” Each statement is presented juxtaposed to the person or organization
putting out that message, followed by the ranking of truth, with a brief quip
underneath the ranking as to how the website came to that conclusion. However,
if the user clicks on the ranking, they are then taken to an additional webpage
that details the facts involved and the process of assessing the validity of
the claim. I believe that this additional webpage provides the context necessary
to distinguish facts from exaggerations, deceptions, and outright falsehoods.
However, I do believe that the way the Truth-O-Meter is presented (without
context), is problematic.
Conclusion
Some people may be off-put by the presentation of truth and
facts through the Truth-O-Meter on PolitiFact.com, but upon visiting the site
for the first time this evening I found it to be a wealth of information and
assessment of political leader’s statements, particularly those running for
presidential nominations currently. I do recognize that the information could
be presented in a way that relates the “truth” to the context of the statement
and the process of assessing that truth, but I think overall that the website
functions as a supplemental means for citizens to effectively and informatively
engage in the political process through news organizations.
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