Kailath's Tactics To Report

The duty of journalists is to inform the public of information and do so diligently, with accuracy and to reduce harm to the public. This is a conflict that journalists face. Ethical principles are a cornerstone for journalists credibility. However, instances where values clash may become an area of conflict. During times of turmoil and civil unrest, journalists are responsible for seeking the truth of an event and reporting it. In 2016 a journalist was arrested for recording a protest and became dangerously close with the unrest of the Black Panther protesters during police arrests. His tactics of reporting challenged the values of reporting accuracy and minimizing harm. In the month of July of 2016, Baton Rouge Louisiana was home to the

According to The Society of Professional Journalists, journalists are to “recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license of arrogance” (Wadsworth, 2014). Kailath eagerness to report on the actions of the Black Panther protesters put himself in harm's way and also the bystanders around him. Documenting the event as it unfolds inside of the area of the protest creates an environment where the protesters feel the need to express their feelings and beliefs because of Ryan’s presence with a camera. The protesters engaged in the documentation were not briefed on what would and would not be recorded, which gives them the control to act in any manner they deem acceptable to make their point. This point drives the factor that the public did not need to be informed of such information, because of the way it was presented. The public does not need to know all information, because “persons simply do not have legitimate claim to every fact, opinion or theory or theory potentially available to them. There must be valid need or other moral connection that gives the agent informational privilege” (Meyers,1993). The way he conducted the research could have been presented in a different from other than interfering with a

Although Kailth demonstrated incompetence in measuring the amount of harm his protest documentation would have on the public and himself, the accuracy of the information he collected was substantial to support the cause. His presence beyond the scope of being safe was necessary to document the story in the full truth. Kailaiths presence inside the protest allowed him to gather information that would provide the full details necessary to present information for the public to understand the beliefs and motives behind the Black Panther protesters. Accuracy is important because it does not lead room for error, it allows “journalists, in telling their version of events, should be able to say, with sincerity, that they believe their version of events to be correct” (Phillips, 2010). If Kailath was not able to access the grounds he was during the protest, the information he collected may be invalid to inform the public of the protestors ideas and