el Don NewsReporting on sensitive issues is always a struggle. There are a lot of ethical questions that need to be addressed.
El Don’s staff has struggled to properly document historical moments happening in Santa Ana and neighboring cities. While we have tried our best to keep up-to-date with city protests, festivals and college events, there are issues affecting the immigrant community we haven’t been able to cover.
It doesn’t help that the people who should be providing us with answers don’t. This chilling effect is nothing new for us. Fortunately, there is no effective way to chill-out journalists who care because we will keep looking for ways to deliver the news.
Problems start with pushback from sources not wanting to comment on what is happening, either out of fear for their safety or the institutions they serve. The fear of commenting also comes from people not wanting to be in the news. It is a scary time to have your name on the record. It doesn’t help that major news outlets mostly report on immigration through a negative lens.
College administrators give us the run-around when we ask questions or remain silent. This draws out the distribution of news or even stops it completely. This is especially bad when the community looks to us for answers.
If nobody talks, then no record will exist. There are stories that need to be told. First-person accounts are important to share. Here at el Don, we want to tell these stories. But we can’t be the newsmakers.
It is a false perception that our staff doesn’t have the interests of the people in mind when reporting.
In class, we discuss ethics. The editorial board and staff have made decisions to protect sources and not share potentially harmful personal information. We understand the importance of minimizing harm, a principle included in the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. The code states that an ethical journalist will treat sources and members of the public as “human beings deserving of respect.”
When talking to undocumented students, we do not share faces or names. We quote anonymously. And, when told that we cannot share sensitive information in order to keep students and programs safe, our publication has held off covering.
At Fiestas Patrias, some people didn’t want to be interviewed. They were not put on camera or directly quoted, but checking in with these community members remains essential to our reporting.
Our staff has questioned what information we should share. One thing we know for certain is that the news needs to be effectively delivered with care.
We won’t be chilled-out from reporting on community stories. We will be there, documenting, asking questions and seeking answers.
