Freedom of Speech for the Press

The freedom of speech for the press has been acquired, and is now cherished in western countries, however freedom of speech does not mean that journalists can say everything and anything.

After watching the video from Russell Howard on the differences of presentation of Ebola in the US and in the UK, I realize that sometimes, news are not really accurate, and because of the way the media deliver it, it can cause panic in a country. In this case, the difference is easily shown, in the UK, the news are measured about it, and made sure not to scare the public by saying that the virus can be contained, but in the US, the news heading are much more alarming:

“Ebola emergency here in America” (ABC News)

“Ebola spreading much faster” (The Washington Post)

“Ebola spiralling out of control” (USA Today)

How can the news on a same event be so different? How can the reactions of journalists be so different when they receive the same information and the same numbers?

The IPSO Editor’s Code of Practice says:

Clause 1 Accuracy

i) The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, including pictures.

When looking online for the actual facts, around 14, 413 cases and 5, 177 deaths have been reported in West Africa, however the UK Government Website assure that the risks in the UK are very low because the virus is only transmitted when there is a contact of the fluids. Concerning the United States, only 10 cases have been discovered in which 2 people died.

So, how come does the American news present the cases as a major risk for the population? I believe, that as journalists, they should first explain exactly what is Ebola, because, as we can see in Russell Howard’s video, the young man does not understand at all what the virus is, and then they should show straight facts and numbers of cases, so that the public can decide by itself if they consider it as a major problem inside the US.

I think that what the American press did, is that they did not give any figures in the news, but only alerted the public about it, which led to a growing fear and this enormous exaggeration on TV.

Finally, in my mind, the fear that the journalists pass through their report are theirs and so we can argue about the ethical issue about this case: journalists did not present the figures, but what might be their opinion on it; and as a matter of fact they did not give any chance to the viewers to decide by themselves what to think about it.

To learn more :

video of Russell Howard : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAz-F1QnyCk

NHS about Ebola : http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ebola-virus/pages/ebola-virus.aspx

Ebola in the USA : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola_virus_cases_in_the_United_States

#ethics