Worcester Telegram Publishes Photo of Face of 5-Year-Old Daughter of Murdered Woman
Friday, April 15, 2016
Yesterday, the Telegram published a photo of the young girl's face. Media companies have had a long standing ethical code not to publish the face of young children in order to protect their identity and preserve privacy.
Avoid Exploitation
Columbia School of Journalism has outlined strong guidance to journalists on how to properly preserve the rights and privacy of children.
“Avoid publishing photographs of children without prior permission from a responsible adult. A photo of an injured child is dramatic and heart-wrenching but can also be hurtful and embarrassing to the victim,” according to Alan Chin’s guidance at the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma.
“Children younger than 13 should not be relied upon to provide detailed factual accounts. Use documents and other sources to corroborate whenever possible.”
Some media in the region did not publish photos of the parents or the child. One local publication published a file photo of District Attorney Joseph Early. Another published a photo of the home of the family.
Guidance
The Dart Center's guidance includes, "Children are inherently vulnerable. When they are caught up in traumatic events – terrorism, violence, natural disaster, crime, grave illness – they depend on the good judgment of adults to keep them from further harm. In the news judgments they make every day, reporters, photographers, editors and producers should be mindful of the responsibility they bear to report the truth with compassion and avoid subjecting children to the additional trauma of insensitive or exploitative coverage."
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