Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Should journalists convey emotion when covering crisis events – like police teargasing supporters of opposition UPND Hakainde Hichilema at Lusaka Central Police?
By JCN’s/IJNet
In the aftermath of the recent teargasing of supporters of UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema and the earthquake in China, many radio reports coming out of Sichuan province and Lusaka respectively featured journalists who were outwardly distraught and emotional; National Public Radio reporters Robert Siegel and Melissa Block, from the U.S., admitted they got “choked up” and even cried on air, which they said made their coverage of the devastation more real. A young female radio journalist covering the event at Lusaka Central Police admitted too she got “chocked” and even cried on air. Should journalists convey emotion when covering crisis events?
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Steven Putter wrote: the more we take humane out of human reactions the more inhumane humanity will become, God bless those that show emotion
ReplyDeleteEugine Phiri wrote:
ReplyDeleteI heard that poor girl on Radio Phoenix and I called the deputy Editor to register my concern. Journalists MUST not add their emotions to make the story real. That is why they are trained professionals. The moment you add your emotions objectivity is lost.
Gershom Ndhlovu wrote:
ReplyDeleteI suppose when journalists become part of the story, they can and do get emotional. I mean do you hold back tears when you are unjustly truncheoned by the police?
Mickie Mumba wrote:
ReplyDeleteThere are two answers to your question: If a journalist is covering an event, he/she should not convey emotion as this will affect the production of the story but when a journalist is being interviewed by another journalist, then nothing wrong with that, after all the person being interviewed is now seen as a separaete individual or rather as a news source.
Gershom Ndhlovu wrote:
ReplyDeleteBut it also depends on why the station allowed yo put a distraught reporter on air? Was it to accentuate the story or allow her to ho on with get job? If it is the former OK, if it is the latter, it is a no no no.
Eugine Phiri again wrote:
ReplyDeleteGershom, when a journalist becomes part of the story objectivity is lost. It means they become the story. A case in point is the radio Phoenix one. Instead of the girl reporting what happened, she became a news source. Other reporters from radio Phoenix interviewed her and she was crying as she gave her account. In tears she forgot to see it from a reporter's point of view. It was worsened when the Station owner Mr. Hickey expressed concern. The story moved from being about HH to Journalists who were just caught in the crossfire. Muvi TV and ZNBC showed Effie Mphande collapsing and being helped up by cops. Did you see her emotionally file a news report? No!!
Gershom Ndhlovu again write:
ReplyDeleteEugine, see Mickie Mumba's response above. He has explained it better than I did.