Re: your opinion on an ethical issue

[Scott Saloway <saloway@bu.edu>]

In the words of Jim Thistle, former tv news director and current
instructor on all things news-related at Boston University - you never
show a minor's face unless that minor himself is accused of a crime.
His reasoning, with which I agree, is that the image of a minor on
televison can cause great harm to that minor down the road. 

For example, you show a minor who is testifying against an alleged
mollestor. He then gets identified by someone in his class, or on his
block, or in the street, and the stigma is magnified. 

Things get a little iffy in this case, though. Everyone knows who the kid
is by virtue of his last name. Still, I'd have to side with the general
rule (practiced by the TV stations) and not show his face. 

--Scott--
whose 4 years at BU trained him to be a TV newsman even though he works in
radio.

On Wed, 9 Jan 2002, Donna Halper wrote:

> This one isn't specifically a radio query, but it certainly applies to TV 
> and print media, so I thought I would get the opinions of the list 
> members.  You are all aware of the so called "Hockey Dad" trial-- the guy 
> who beat another guy to death after their kids' hockey practice in  a case 
> of "sports rage".  Yesterday, the accused dad's son was on the 
> stand.  Radio of course aired his voice and some of his testimony, but I 
> was pleased that TV (I watched channels 4 and 5) did not show his 
> face.  The kid is 12, and it would seem to me that it's traumatic enough to 
> have watched your dad beating on somebody (whether it was self defence or 
> not is for the jury to decide) but why put the kid on TV?  CNN did not show 
> his face either.  All explained they were not showing his face due to his 
> age.  So imagine my surprise to see the kid's face on the front page of the 
> metro section of the Boston Globe today.  Personally, I think this was not 
> a totally ethical decision and exploited the kid.  I know we have some TV 
> people on this list-- when do you show a kid's face and when don't you? I 
> say the kid was not the story-- his dad was.  Protect the kid's 
> privacy.  What do the rest of you think?
> 
> 
>