In 2011, however, new investigation started as the British police found evidence that The News of the World had hired a private investigator to hack the phone of the family of schoolgirl Milly Dowler, following her disappearance in March 2002 and subsequently finding her murdered body six months later. According to newspaper The Guardian reports the voicemail inbox was hacked by The News of the World private investigators and that they had deleted messages, giving false hope to the police and family that Milly might still be alive somewhere.
Now, this is ‘us’.
In the UK and worldwide people were disgusted and appalled by these reports. Major advertisers pulled out in responds to the controversy and subsequently let to the closure of The News of the World after 168 years of printing.
One might say that now the boundaries of ethics has been reached. But weren’t the boundaries already reached on reports on the Iraq war, or Afghanistan? Or the depiction of women in the Middle-East? Ethics comes into place when bias reports on other cultures are presented. When reports are used to benefit certain organizations and political parties, is that not unethical? But sadly, only when we ourselves are effected we take a stand.
Ethics of Images
The News of the World deliberately set aside any ethical form of behavior in pursuing news.
Ethics are not only challenged in text but can also be displayed in the use of images. The ethical issues are raised because of new technology available for photographers. It is now easy to alter an image in your favor. For example to add an object to the picture of take an object out to influence viewers. Photojournalists however are permitted to change ‘technical’ aspects of a picture such as altering slightly the tone of color in the photo. But the line is drawn in further changes, as it would change the meaning of the photo and mislead viewers. But still, you can change the colors in the photo in a way the background or a certain object in the photo completely disappears. And are these technical aspects really necessary to mislead viewers?
To reflect back to the war in Iraq, pictures and video images surfaced of the taking down of the statue of Saddam Hussein. In the news and pictures it clearly looks like many Iraqi’s are happy with the demolishing of Saddam’s statue.