Ethics

Offensive Images
This article was about offensive cartoons of Mohammad being released in the Danish newspaper.  This caused an outrage in the Islamic community. There is a huge debate over whether it's an expression of opinion and should be published, or it's distasteful and should not be.

Do we publish the cartoons or not? In my opinion, I don't think its ethical to publish these photos.  I do believe that no matter what your opinion, you should be able to express it, but there needs to be respect.  It is not respectful to ridicule others beliefs, it is not ethical.

Using the "Holocaust" Metaphor
This article is about PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) using a comparison between animals being slaughtered, and the holocaust.  They used this in their campaign titled "Holocaust on Your Plate" with an image of animals in a slaughterhouse and a Nazi concentration camp.  The campaign was shut down, but two years later released again by Ingrid Newkirk, the CEO of PETA.

Is the "Holocaust on Your Plate" ethically wrong or a truthful comparison? In my opinion I think it is ethically wrong.  Although animals being slaughtered is horrible, I believe they shouldn't be put compared because it isn't fair to try and make society feel like there is a "holocaust" going on to make them want to help because it's incorrect and not a fair comparison.

Naming Victims of Sex Crimes
This article is about different situations where children were kidnapped and later uncovered that they are victims of sexual assault.  Journalists have a decision to make, whether to use their names or not after they have found out they were sexually assaulted.  Along with this, interviewing them can be a problem because it can cause a huge upset from the victim.

Should children who are thought to be victims of sexual abuse ever be named in the media? What should be done about the continued use of names of kidnap victims who are later found to be sexual assault victims? Should use of their names be discounted at that point?  In my opinion, I don't think the names should be named because I believe it is putting these children in danger by telling the world about them and the rest of their life being known as what happened to you.  It should not define you. I think the story should be cut off once it's found that the kidnapped victim is a sexual assault victim.  The use of their names should be discounted at that point because I believe it's not fair to the victim.