"How false reports of Boston bombing arrest left media outlets scrambling"
Toronto, Ontario
April 17, 2013
What ethical issues were raised by the article?
Your reaction to the ethical issues raised by the information in the article.
What is your opinion about the issue, and what caused you to form that opinion?
Play devils advocate, what opposing view could be expressed
How could using a balance in research and reporting tactics have made a difference in the outcome of what was reported
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I think the press did a bad job at reporting the situation. With something as terrifying as terrorism, they should have been giving the public the facts while easing their tensions.
I couldn't believe how much bad reporting happened so fast over something that truly terrified our country.
The public's fear would have dissipated faster.
The news outlets could have been trying to keep everyone updated on what was coming in.
The Associated Press told viewers that a suspect had been captured, when in fact, they hadn't captured anyone.
Anchors delivered a race profile to the public when they didn't actually have a proven profile to go on.
Each news station gave different stories with different "facts" that weren't checked or confirmed.
How could news stations be reporting so many different stories at once without realizing that something was wrong?
Why didn't the authorities do anything about the false reports, and why didn't they make a public statement to put the false reporting to rest?
The Boston Bombing was a horrible moment in American history, and by reporting false stories and facts, it made Americans even more scared. They should have had major consequences for terrifying and confusing people even more.
The situation was "messed up". In other words, it was a cluster of unethical proportions. I think this because people go to the news first to get their information, and by reporting falsely, Americans are going to react in a negative way, physically and mentally. This will end up causing more chaos, instead of diminishing it.
They probably thought that by giving everyone the information as it came in, it would help keep people's fears at bay.
The news station was reporting information that they were being given by someone in authority. They were sharing this information so the public could be vigilant and stay on the look out for any suspicious people and actions.
The authorities could have been focused more on the investigation, instead of trying to clear up the news stations' messes.
The news stations could have released stories that were being given by the people in charge once they knew the facts. This would have allowed the proper stories to reach the public.
Pictures and videos could have been released to show the public who was at fault and what had truly happened. This could help ease the public and stop bias.