Media and Privacy - the Massacre That Shocked the World - Essay Example

The Massacre That Shocked the World The case study entitled ‘The Massacre at Langdale High and Laura’s Secret Diary’ – highlights one of the most dreadful accounts of crimes carried in daylight in a school and the associated role of media to answer the “Why” behind such a hideous crime – keeping in context the privacy of the partied involved. Situation Definition As far as the role of media is concerned, a number of issues need to be addressed. Did the action of media harm the persons involved in the situation? Was the reporting done honestly? What was the ethical responsibility of the media? Was the dignity and respect of those involved taken care of? Was transparency maintained in reporting? These are the questions that need to be answered when analyzing the case, apart from these questions, What has been referred to as ‘Massacre at Langdale High’ transpired in Andersonville- a small town in the United States. The case of Langdale High involves two siblings named Jeffrey and Laura. Both of them had a pleasant childhood but soon things started to change. The case informs that the neighbors confirmed that both the siblings were friendly and warm during their childhood. However in case of Laura, her disposition suddenly changed after her tenth birthday. She became quieter and withdrew herself from communications. The reason was, when she turned ten, she was subjected to sexual harassment by her father periodically. This led to the formation of negative feelings inside her such as embarrassment and resentment. She did not engage in any social activity and isolated herself. She was limited to a close clique, whom she called her friends. She tried opting for drugs, in an attempt to find some solace but to her surprise Laura found jotting her thought in her diary as more therapeutic and satisfactory. In case of Jeffrey, he was a bright kid and celebrated his father as his super hero. He longed for his attention and wanted to share a close bond with him. He was aware of the fact that his sister was being sexually abused by the father every now and then Laura had complained to him several times; but he did not take any stance on his issue and chose to remain quiet. When Jeffrey turned 13, his family was abandoned by his father. This incident was a milestone in Jeffrey’s life and left him a changed person. He became bitter as a person and fell into glum depression. Weapons and ammunitions started to lure him and. Many assumed that his rampage was because of the frustration that he felt. This case informs of Sharyn Lassiter, who was a police and a court reporter at Andersonville Tribune. In her four-year career as a reporter, she had covered many stories of crimes- ranging from rape, assassinations to burglaries but this particular episode of violence shocked her. She decided to pursue this case in-depth and started probing people to get a deeper insight of the situation. She also collaborated with Andy Cherry – who was in charge of the Delvin’s case investigation. Lassiter interviewed neighbors, school fellows and many other relevant people. From these sources, a depressing side of the Delvin family emerged. The case intrigued her and she delved herself in Laura’s personal diary; which was in police possession and was possible evidence against Jeffrey. While raising the questions above, One of the most pertinent question that is need to be posed is that whether or not Laura Devlin’s secret diary should be made public in order to illuminate the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the crime? Analysis of Situation Evaluation of values and principles If values and principles are analyzed in this case then one can clearly say that values and principles were not taken care of, the analysis of the case makes one conclude that some principles were violated and were failed to take care of. The media in this case failed to comply with the principle of beneficence since their coverage failed to take care of the right of the family of the criminal. The principle of autonomy was clearly violated not only by the media but also by Sharyn and others. The family's belongings and privacy were clearly interfered with so much so that their ability to lead a healthy life in future was made impossible. The community should have been protective of their rights and should have followed the principle of paternalism; however, the reality is that the principle was not followed and the family's rights were jeopardized. External factors Many people assumed that the main source of motivation behind Jeffrey’s act was the frustration which had inflicted upon him because of him being deserted by his father. Laura’s diary proves that over the years Jeffrey had grown disaffection with his father because of him being over dominating. Also, his usage of drugs and other incidents in his youthful days led to him to that state. This shows that many external factors were also involved, coupled with severe family problems due to which Jeffrey had a distorted personality. Apart from the societal factors, many other external aspects also surround this case. Laura, besides not having her consent was forced to give her diary as a witness and a source that can be published as the final prove behind the crimes committed. Moral duties This case highlights the issue of ‘ethics’. An individual’s private information was taken for granted. This violates the concept and the very essence of expression ‘privacy’, in terms of its value with culture, society and the legal aspects associated with it. Len Masterman states two principles in the book ‘Principles of Media Education’ where she states that; “Media education is investigative and it does not seek to impose specific cultural values”. Principal 6 in the book states that ‘Media education is topical and opportunistic. It seeks to illuminate the life-situations of the learners. In doing so, it may place the “here and how” in the context of wider historical and ideological issues” (Masterman, n.p.). These two principals can be applied to this case and they fit perfectly but the question regarding an individual’s privacy right remains unreciprocated. This case is an example where media went over-board. In the case under consideration, the rights of stakeholders should also be focused upon. Since all voluntary actions are objects of moral judgment, Jeffrey's action of killing his fellows is clearly a violation of the moral values. There was a clear violation of the rights of stakeholders. Laura's brother surpassed the limits by choosing a line of action that violated the norms of institution. His actions violated the basic right of life of his colleagues. The terror that spread caused the society to shatter its belief of being safe, leaving their conscience crippled for an extended period of time. Also violated were the rights of financial supporters who assisted the family in maintaining a healthy and comfortable lifestyle. The consciences, moral sense of judging right or wrong seems to have been overlooked because throughout the case study this sense in people involved in the case was not used morals and its care is an important aspect of the society, a society is based and bult on moral values and ethics, people brought up in it bults their subconscious mind on it and when if these values are distorted people find it difficult to servive in the society Moral theories The deontological point of view primarily focuses on the duty of an individual and talks about rules or actions that have to be followed. The rules may be based on a religious belief or perhaps a law of a country which should be followed. To be morally correct, one has to follow the rules; in other words perform his/her duty. E.g. media should have taken measures to prevent the privacy of the family as it was their duty. The teleological point of view talks about the outcomes of our actions as the determining factor for being morally wrong or right. If the expected consequences of an action are significantly good; the action is deemed ethical. Also referred to as consequentialism, the theory promotes the notion of "the greatest good for the greatest number" as the determining factor for being ethically correct. The media's claim that they covered the crime beyond ordinary levels to increase public awareness so that they can protect themselves from such crimes in future appears to correspond to the teleological point of view. The concept of 'golden mean' is an ancient concept which declares any action to be morally correct if it falls in the middle of a spectrum of two extremes. The basic idea is that the middle way should be adopted, instead of following the extremes. E.g. the information about this case should have been scrutinized to release only those facts which are sufficient to inform the public about the happening, without going into the fine details to avoid creating a situation of terror. The action of the media can be judged in the light of the theories discussed earlier. Based on the deontological point of view, this point of view believes that there is a position to judge the morality of an action, action of media cannot be justified since it was their duty to report the incident in a way which protects the privacy of the affected girl. Contrary to this, the teleological point of view will argue that for the greater benefit of all, it was mandatory for the media to report the incident, so that others are aware of the possibility of the crime and can take measures to prevent it in future. Also, it promoted the idea that if people notice such crimes in their vicinities, they should be reported. Lastly, the golden mean will argue that a middle way should have been adopted to avoid giving harm to the family; while reporting the incident in a mild way, hiding the identities of the individuals involved but telling the people about the results of the crime. Decision This case emphasizes the need to mentor and council students especially when they are in their formative years. Firstly, parents and siblings should give quality time to their family and should look into matters that are bothering anyone in the family. A strong moral support network is a source of motivation. Secondly, school administration should keep a check on their students. This includes taking measure to stop bullying and to provide counseling facilities to students. The content of Laura’s diary is definitely noteworthy and provided information pertinent to this case, which was of significant nature. This diary emerged as a viable source of news and information in this case and provided reasoning behind a morbid act. On the other hand, the nature of the content instigates the moral reasoning within an individual. I hold this belief as a strong conviction that an individual’s privacy must be respected under all circumstances. No doubt, the diary had imperative pieces of information – which the Police department had every right to analyze and draw conclusions from; but it was unethical on their part to reveal someone’s private diary to third parties. I do not agree with the publication of the diary’s content in the mass media because an individual’s self-esteem is at stake. Even if Sharyn had to explain the case and the underlying reasoning to the general masses, only relevant excerpts should have been publicized. This act of dissecting the dairy and putting it under the lime light especially telling the masses about the sexual assault and the trauma Laura had to go through was unethical. It is equivalent to punishing her for no crime done and further reducing her chances of living a normal life ever again. Assuming the role of the managing director, Douglas Hawthorne, I would have set limits before authorizing a story based on Laura’s diary. Only the details which were directly related to Jeffrey’s case would have been allowed to publish. For Laura the diary was a source of salvation. The diary was like a best friend to her where she confided in. Her brother’s felony and the irresponsibility of media personnel caused her to suffer for no reason. This case also demonstrates the importance of strong moral support system in an individual’s life. Laura’s brother knew of the wrong-doings that the father had been conducting but he turned a blind eye towards it. The case also reports several times that Laura’s mother had an unassertive nature and was dominated by her husband. She was not able to take a stand for herself, neither for her children. That is why, it is important for parents to inculcate certain moral and ethical qualities in children and to practice them so that their children learn. After this case, there are little chances that Laura would ever be able to live a normal life again. Incidents like these tend to shatter self-esteem and confidence of an individual. That’s why external parties who are involved in cases like these for example media people and police department should understand the privacy of the affected people and also respect it. The answer to the question that whether Laura’s diary should be made public or not is ‘No’. this diary included personal and private statements by Laura and was not meant to be used for anu purpose, it did helped a lot in the case but the this evidence could have been handled skillfully and should have not been made public. References Masterman, Len. "Media Awareness Education: Eighteen Basic Principles." Center for Media Literacy. CML, 1986. Web. 9 Nov. 2013. Read More