Ethical Reporting on Drug Violence

Aug 25, 2024

Lecture Notes on Drug War Coverage

Introduction

  • The lecture discusses the challenges and ethical considerations of covering drug-related violence.

Personal Experience

  • The speaker shares personal experiences from the field, particularly:
    • Receiving calls late at night about incidents (e.g., around 11:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.).
    • Feelings of guilt for documenting tragic events.

Ethical Dilemmas in Journalism

  • Critical Viewpoints:
    • Conflict arises between the need to report and the moral implications of covering violence.
    • The speaker expresses a preference for "killing drugs, not people" in the context of the drug war.

The Nature of Crime Scenes

  • Documentation Importance:
    • Emphasizes the necessity of documenting incidents to avoid reducing tragedies to mere statistics.
    • Discusses being labeled as "vultures" when reporting on crime scenes.
  • Emotional Impact:
    • Discusses the emotional toll of witnessing and reporting on violent acts:
      • Initial numbness when finding a dead body.
      • Later feeling compassion when hearing the victims' stories and the impact on their families.

Reporting Challenges

  • Access to Information:
    • Challenges in getting good pictures or reports due to police cordons.
  • Need for Quick Response:
    • Journalists must get to the scene quickly to capture events as they unfold.

Personal Reflections

  • Inner Conflict:
    • The speaker reflects on feelings of anger and heartbreak after hearing the stories of victims' families:
      • Emphasizes the importance of humanizing the stories behind the statistics.
  • Commitment to the Job:
    • Despite emotional struggles, the speaker remains committed to their role as a journalist.
    • Acknowledges the necessity of continuing to work in such challenging environments.

Conclusion

  • The speaker concludes with a strong commitment to their journalistic duty, aiming to help by telling the stories of those affected by the drug war.