Videotaped Beating Raises Ethics Questions
Apr 14th, 2008 • Posted in: NewsVideo of gang beating played over and over on network news while anchors warn how difficult it is to watch; meanwhile, employees of “Dr. Phil” bail out one of the accused attackers in hopes of doing a show
LAKELAND, Fla.
A disturbing video of teenagers beating an acquaintance has raised ethics questions on several levels, including the societal implications of the apparently staged-for-video assault and the moral responsibility of media outlets that aired the tape.
Last week, six teenage girls, ranging in age from 14 to 17, and two male classmates were charged as adults with battery and kidnapping in a March 30 attack in Lakeland, Florida, the New York Times reports.
Their adult status means their names and likenesses — as well as the video that sparked the arrest — can be disseminated freely by the press.
The video shows the extended beating of a 16-year-old girl and has been the focus of a variety of network TV shows, “with anchors often describing how hard the beating was to watch, even as clips of the attack played over and over on screen,” observes the Times.
Defendants were released on bail and banned from using “any Internet chat room, social site, opinion forum, included, but not limited to, MySpace and YouTube,” according to the judge’s order, notes the Lakeland Ledger.
It is believed that the girls may have staged the beating in order to humiliate the victim by posting the video on the Internet.
Regardless of the original motive, the girls emerged into the glare of a national media spotlight. Over the weekend, it was revealed that employees of the pop-psychology TV show “Dr. Phil” had posted bail for one of the teens.
The Associated Press reports that even in the rough and tumble world of daytime TV, “Dr. Phil” staffers later admitted they had gone too far. In an email to the AP, “Dr. Phil” McGraw spokeswoman Terri Corigliano said: “We have helped guests and potential guests in the past when they need financial assistance to come on the show — assisting with clothing allowance, lost wages, accommodations, travel and necessities…. In this case, certain staff members went beyond our guidelines (re: the bail being paid).”
“These staff members have been spoken to and our policies reiterated,” Corigliano’s email said. “In addition, we have decided not to go forward with the story as our guidelines have been compromised.”
While the Florida beating was never actually posted on YouTube by the alleged attackers, CBS News reports that a search on the site reveals several videos of young girls fighting each other, many of which have been posted for months.
Because of precedent-setting court decisions, video-sharing sites, message boards, and Internet service providers are generally exempt from legal responsibility for posting such content, CBS reports.
As to their ethical responsibility, at least one expert — Kelly McBride of the Poynter Institute — said media organizations have a duty to share the video.
“The fact that the video was shot because they were seeking publicity was secondary,” McBride told CBS. “A crime was committed in our community, and if there’s a videotape of it, I want some information. That video was incredibly revealing. It told more truth about what happened than any other form of reporting could have told.”
Sources: New York Times, Apr. 12 — Ledger, Apr. 12 — CBS, Apr. 11 — AP, Apr. 10.
For more information, see: Related Newsline story, Jan. 14 — Related Newsline story, Dec. 3, 2007 — Related Newsline story, Sep. 25, 2006.
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