Like the other things we have been writing on, the photograph of the Falling Man and the Esquire story could be seen as unethical -- though not maliciously so. There are several obvious arguments that could be made against taking the photograph, and publicizing it. There are three main arguments that I will supply. The reporting was extreme, the death was gruesome, and it did not provide for the greater good.
Firstly, I remember staying up and watching the towers falling hundreds of times over the few months afterwards, with the 24/7 news cycle of the media constantly and seeing over and over the Falling Man photograph and other similar ones. This level of reporting was literally unprecidented. It was proven to cause PTSD in people who watched these events unfold time and time again. This breaks the principle of the Golden Mean.
Secondly, Kantian ethics and the Golden Rule were broken. This photograph publicizes an individual's gruesome death. I would not want my own death publicized in this way, and my final seconds being shown to billions of people. Beyond that, it could easly harm the family and families of other 9/11 victims wondering if that was their family member.
Thirdly, it breaks J. S. Mill's idea of Utilitarianism. This photo causes more harm than good, as the photograph is scarred in people's memory. It's a very dramatic and very memorable photograph, and not for it's good qualities -- for, as described in the article, the terrible (and depressing) ones.
This is someone's life, someone's death, captured in a lens in a split second. Further, it summarizes all that down to 10 kilobytes of rgb pixels on the screen of my computer or television -- and that in and of itself is also a lie.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Missing White Girl Syndrome and Ethics
Missing White Girl Syndrome, such as the Kaylee Anthony and Elizabeth Smart stories, is a terrible subject in our lives today. It provides several obvious unethical boundaries that become crossed every time a story appears on the news. The main ones are the extremes defied in the Golden Mean principle, the Kantian dilemma of treating others how you would wish to be treated, and J. S. Mill's ethical quandry about the greater good.
Firstly, it defies the Golden Mean - people see these stories, every year, all the time reaching an extreme. They're on every news channel, every newspaper, every website. A negative consequence is, therefore, they become desensitized to smaller news stories about missing people. Further, most news stories are reported on with far fewer resources than what is dedicated to these.
Secondly, it defies Kantian ethics, as they do not apply the same attention to all missing people's cases. They could not possibly provide the same coverage for all, however, as these stories are covered on the 24/7 news cycles, and all we would ever see would be constant reporting about missing people.
Thirdly, it defies Utilitarianism and John Stewart Mill's ethics, as it scares people into being afraid of groups of people -- such as villainizing people of races that are different than those of the person being subject to the problem. There was a great South Park episode in regards to this, where eventually it got to the point that the children wound up being segregated from their own parents because the news reported that parents are the people most likely to kidnap their own children.
This is a serious problem in our media environment. The lack of ethics on these Missing White Girl cases is something that needs to be addressed.
Firstly, it defies the Golden Mean - people see these stories, every year, all the time reaching an extreme. They're on every news channel, every newspaper, every website. A negative consequence is, therefore, they become desensitized to smaller news stories about missing people. Further, most news stories are reported on with far fewer resources than what is dedicated to these.
Secondly, it defies Kantian ethics, as they do not apply the same attention to all missing people's cases. They could not possibly provide the same coverage for all, however, as these stories are covered on the 24/7 news cycles, and all we would ever see would be constant reporting about missing people.
Thirdly, it defies Utilitarianism and John Stewart Mill's ethics, as it scares people into being afraid of groups of people -- such as villainizing people of races that are different than those of the person being subject to the problem. There was a great South Park episode in regards to this, where eventually it got to the point that the children wound up being segregated from their own parents because the news reported that parents are the people most likely to kidnap their own children.
This is a serious problem in our media environment. The lack of ethics on these Missing White Girl cases is something that needs to be addressed.
Tiger Woods Animation and Ethics
Ethics in journalism is obviously not being considered when looking at the Tiger Woods animation from the Asian news. Based on three basic principles of Ethics, we see that it was a mistake, though not malicious in nature.
Firstly, the animation was inaccurate. It obviously takes artistic liberties in the drawings, and looks almost comical when speaking to a real situation affecting two people's lives. Further, it relies on second hand information, rather than firsthand reports -- which was likely unaccurate looking back on the events.
Secondly, it is not supported by the Kantian ethics. It was not being entirely truthful -- it is being reported as news, yet who knows if that's how she was swinging the golf club? Who knows how Tiger Woods was driving his car, the look on his face when he got in, or what they were doing leading up to that? The animators certainly don't.
Finally, it is not supported by Utilitarianism ethics as it causes more harm than good. It is not necessary to take time of reporters and utilize resources reporting on the Tiger Wood's incident, as it was not to improve domestic relations -- it was simply presented as an entertainment piece. If it were utilized to present a perspective on domestic violence, that would be one thing. It was not.
All in all, the animation was not helpful and not ethical in even the most minimal way. It should have never been done. It should not continue unless it can provide at least some usefulness that can be supported.
Firstly, the animation was inaccurate. It obviously takes artistic liberties in the drawings, and looks almost comical when speaking to a real situation affecting two people's lives. Further, it relies on second hand information, rather than firsthand reports -- which was likely unaccurate looking back on the events.
Secondly, it is not supported by the Kantian ethics. It was not being entirely truthful -- it is being reported as news, yet who knows if that's how she was swinging the golf club? Who knows how Tiger Woods was driving his car, the look on his face when he got in, or what they were doing leading up to that? The animators certainly don't.
Finally, it is not supported by Utilitarianism ethics as it causes more harm than good. It is not necessary to take time of reporters and utilize resources reporting on the Tiger Wood's incident, as it was not to improve domestic relations -- it was simply presented as an entertainment piece. If it were utilized to present a perspective on domestic violence, that would be one thing. It was not.
All in all, the animation was not helpful and not ethical in even the most minimal way. It should have never been done. It should not continue unless it can provide at least some usefulness that can be supported.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Public Health Policy Problems
Strictly by the statistics, the greatest problems we face as a society are cancer, heart disease, diabetes, asthema and other chronic diseases. These diseases not only have a great personal cost, but societally, there is a greater cost. According to the CDC, more than two-thirds of deaths in the United States already occur due to these (partially) preventable problems and most of the costs of health care come from these chronic diseases as well.
Beyond these immediate threats, the societal costs are great. We are currently embroiled in a political stalemate and expanding deficits due, partly, to excessive healthcare spending. If the costs continue expanding, our society will have to make truly hard choices -- whether to end various government services, such as welfare, infrastructure spending and education or paying for chronic disease health care costs. These problems which could easily be reduced by better willpower from citizens -- through exercising, eliminating tanning, less driving and better diet -- and taking preventive care seriously.
Additional problems include problems such as birth defects and reproductive health problems, medical malpractice and prescription mistakes, and oral health problems. As for the first ones, birth defects are increasing, but reproductive health problems such as premature birth are decreasing, especially with the newest announcements from the DMC and NIH regarding hormone treatments. Medical malpractice and prescription mistakes could be fixed with the advent of better Electronic Medical Records. Oral health problems are on the rise with more and more Medicaid patients losing their dental insurance. These problems, however, are not as large as the problems with chronic diseases.
Beyond these immediate threats, the societal costs are great. We are currently embroiled in a political stalemate and expanding deficits due, partly, to excessive healthcare spending. If the costs continue expanding, our society will have to make truly hard choices -- whether to end various government services, such as welfare, infrastructure spending and education or paying for chronic disease health care costs. These problems which could easily be reduced by better willpower from citizens -- through exercising, eliminating tanning, less driving and better diet -- and taking preventive care seriously.
Additional problems include problems such as birth defects and reproductive health problems, medical malpractice and prescription mistakes, and oral health problems. As for the first ones, birth defects are increasing, but reproductive health problems such as premature birth are decreasing, especially with the newest announcements from the DMC and NIH regarding hormone treatments. Medical malpractice and prescription mistakes could be fixed with the advent of better Electronic Medical Records. Oral health problems are on the rise with more and more Medicaid patients losing their dental insurance. These problems, however, are not as large as the problems with chronic diseases.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)