Editorial ethics breached in Vanuatu tragedy
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Editorial ethics breached in
Vanuatu tragedy
PFF, Rarotonga, Cook Islands -- The
front page publication of the
image of a dead child
photographed where he died is a clear breach of
media
ethics in Vanuatu and must remind Pacific newsrooms to
balance
news journalism with decency in reporting, says
regional media freedom
watchdog the Pacific Freedom
Forum.
The call to uphold established media codes which
govern news
journalism comes after the front-page
publication of a full colour
photo of a dead child, by
the Vanuatu Times newspaper in its Saturday
18 March
issue (number 74). The Times article highlighted the
fact
that the child, referred to only by the name
Kaloran, died in an
unsecured timber yard premises, and
that relatives were seeking a
claim for
compensation.
"The codes of ethics developed by the Media Assosiasen Blong Vanuatu commit to special considerations for coverage of children, and for decency and sensitivity to govern decisions to publish images of the dead. We urge all practitioners in Vanuatu to uphold the ethics they have developed, and for the Times to make its apology to Kaloran's family and readers clear and immediate," says PFF chair Susuve Laumaea of Papua New Guinea.
"The Vanuatu Times is led by senior members of the Vanuatu media and includes regional media leadership in the form of PINA President Moses Stevens on its editorial team. We welcome confirmation from the President that publication of the image was a breach of ethics." says Laumaea.
"There is a line between sensitive reporting to the issue of preventable deaths, and gratuitous coverage which goes beyond the bounds of decency in any society," says PFF co-chair Monica Miller of American Samoa, "It takes a standard of maturity and courage by newsrooms to admit when the lines have been blurred, and we encourage MAV to ensure its code of ethics is widely accessible in Vanuatu newsrooms to help editors and journalists stand by the excellent codes they've initiated."
ENDS