Week : Student Response to Discussion One and Two

WednesdayJan 31 at 1:33am

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As a reporter covering a story for the Town Times, one of my top priorities is keeping my sources confidential and secure. In the case of an armed robbery that resulted in a shooting, however, I think it is paramount that the criminal is brought in, as he is clearly a danger to society. After interviewing the suspect’s sister, I would report the information I gathered to the police. I would attempt to avoid revealing that the source of the information was from the suspect’s sister if possible, to protect her identity. If it was mandatory that I revealed this information, however, I believe it would be the morally correct choice to do so. This would probably be the case because the police would want to interrogate her on the suspect’s location.

The main reason I would choose to reveal this information to the police is because the sister is not entirely innocent herself. She clearly knows that he did something illegal and is in hiding after doing so. She may not be a direct accomplice to the crime, but she knew that it happened and was attempting to cover for him. I think that if her safety or reputation is in question over this, then that is something she needed to prepare for when covering up for a criminal. Someone should not have knowledge of a crime as big as this and keep that information secret, and then attempt to ensure that he escapes, even if he is family. While I would still try to keep her identity private throughout the investigation, if revealing the source of the information was an absolute necessity, I would not hesitate to reveal her identity.

Sources:

Jacquette, D. (2007). Journalistic ethics: Moral responsibility in the media. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.