When two values conflict

Hi, Franklin and classmates,

Thank Franklin for providing the links of war photos. I spent most of my day looking at those photos. I think photo images are more appealing than writing language in recording and presenting the reality of wars.

I think the AP has its legitimate reasons to release the photo of wounded Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard. This AP photo is not more graphic than some of the published photos from Civil war to Iraq war. I believe this AP photo, as well as many war photos, show people how cruel war can be and remind us to urge politicians to adopt a more prudent policy when involving people in a war. The wounded Marine photo and other war images also remind us of the great sacrifice our soldiers make for our country and for other countries and people.

However, an ethical issue arises when the Marine’s father, Mr. Bernard, clearly indicated that his family did not want his son’s photo to be published. I agree with the AP that this image offered “vivid insights” into the story, based on the “Daily Mail Report”. However, is a vivid effect on a story worth the hurt of a family whose love one lost his life for his country? When we make an ethical decision, we should apply Rawls’s rule of “Veil of ignorance”, and consider the effects of our decision from “the point of view of everyone involved” (our text book, p 27). What if the Marine was our brother? How would our family feel when the media published our love one’s picture against our wish? Based on Potter’s box, as described in our text book, when media make ethical decisions, they should identify their values, not only professional values, but also personal values. I believe basic human values, such as respect for a dead soldier’s dignity and his family’s wishes, is higher than the value of publishing a good, appealing story, even though the story might promote positive social effect.

Freedom of press is not a society’s ultimate goal. It is just a means of reaching our ultimate goal. Our ultimate goal is to establish a society in which people’s privacy can be protected and their dignity can be respected. When two values conflict, the lower value (freedom of press) should be subjected to the higher value (the ultimate goal of our society). In this case, I feel that, respect for the Marine and his family is more important than the publication of a good story.

Annie Liu