United Arab Emirates Newspapers Violate Codes of Ethics
Newspapers of UAE in Abu Dhabi continue to publish police provided pictures of defendants in a case that has not yet reached the court. This means that there has been no final verdict. The code in violation is that the newspapers do have to give the public the right to information, but they have to do it responsibly. The code bans the publishing of names and pictures of suspects before a final court ruling. The article states that the editors-in-chief have signed the code of ethics of most papers, meaning that the newspapers are aware and agreed with the code.
The newspaper that published the pictures is in complete violation of the code of ethics. This can be an issue for the Journalists Association if they provide a code and people sign it and do not really take it seriously. What is the point of the codes is they are not followed? The newspaper should retract the pictures or issue some kind of apology. This leaves a bad example to the trustworthiness of the media if this goes unpunished. The editors signed the code of ethics and this should mean that they fully adopt all the rules and should be aware of them. The pictures may bee good for the public to know but if they defendants are proven innocent, the public may still criticism them and see them as criminals. The reputation of the defendant could be falsely ruined by this newspaper. The bottom line was that the newspaper was aware of the codes and deliberately violated one of them. It is good that another journalist recognized the issue and brought it to attention.
2 comments:
Printing the names and pictures of people accused of a crime is very irresponsible. Who knows what damage you could do to that person's life if they are actually proven innocent. Even if they are innocent, there'll always be that newspaper that shows them as a criminal.
My second biggest problem with this article is the fact the newspaper signed and swore they would follow the rule of not printing the names or pictures of people who haven't yet been convicted of the crime. Like Rachel said, what is the point of signing it if you don't plan on upholding it? It just takes away from the integrity of journalists who take their job seriously.
Informing the public is one thing, but jeopardizing the image of somebody who is possibly innocent is another.
I agree, the printing of names and pictures of people accused of a crime is unfair and unethical. As stated, the editors were required to sign a code of ethics in order to be held accountable. The release of the names and pictures obviously violated this code. In the American justice system (and it may be different elsewhere), a person is innocent until determined guilty, and an exposure of their identities could alter thier outcome.
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