News photos

http://www.aish.com/movies/PhotoFraud.asp

Let's comment on the ethics of news reporters embellishing or outright faking photo coverage. (please don't comment until you've actually seen the video).

Let's assume for a moment that this story is accurate, and that the pictures are exactly what the commentator stated: doctored or staged photos. (This means no fair saying "that's not true". This is a question about ethics, not about whether these photos are doctored.)

This brings up some questions. What is the purpose of the news media? Is it their job to report news exaclty as it happens or to further some agenda. Whether this agenda is right, wrong, or is actually happening is not important to the discussion: the question is whether the bias itself is right or wrong, no matter which way the press leans.

1. Is it ethical to print these photographs? What are the ethical obligations of the publisher if these photographs are printed (assuming that they shouldn't be in the first place)?

2. If this is truly taking place, does this seem to identify a bias on the part of the photographers and the news organizations that are not filtering this out?

3. Is there some sort of moral imperitave that news media make their point, even if they have to fudge the facts a little bit? Is it the news's job to inform or to convince?

A free and independent news agency's goal should always be to report the facts as they are. However in these days of corporate news agencies making money comes first.

No, this was not ethical I don't think that it necessarily shows a bias one either for or against Israel. I think it was just a way to sell more copy.

This is what happens when making money is placed before reporting the news.

This is what comes from media execs treating news as 'entertainment'.