Legal And Ethical Issues In Mass Media
A reporter joins a gang that has been causing havoc in Toronto through murder and theft. He conceals his identity from the gang members. In the course of his undercover work, he witnesses the killing of two young men who allegedly leaked gang related information to the police. Without the knowledge of the gang members he is able to take some photos of the young men. He is also able to bond with some of the members and gets crucial information that could be useful to the police. What ethical considerations are posed by this kind of reporting? Should the photos be published in the prime time news? Should he disclose the information and the names of his sources to the police? Please refer to the following codes of conduct: Canadian Association of Journalists' Statement of Principles and the Canadian Association of Journalist Ethics GuidelinesRussell pp. 253-256. Also draw from Kohlberg's Moral Ladder and the 5W's of journalism ethics discussed in your text book.