7- Exploiting a News Story

 Covering a News Story vs. Exploiting a News Story

With the incredible availability of headlining news for every individual, popular news stories are often splattered across multiple news formats. Viewers who do not watch the evening news regularly see clips of courtroom cases or live news footage on social media such as TikTok and Instagram while every news blog writes their own interpretation of the situation. While being aware of current events is extremely important, these news stories are often exploited for the media's benefit with no regard for the individuals involved in the case. 

What is Exploitation?

In short, exploitation is the act of using something or someone for your own advantage. No matter what the circumstances of a news story are, details of an individual's fortune or misfortune will be shared with others. However, there is a point in which the coverage acts more as a means to gather more viewers to specific news sources instead of informing others. According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the line between proper exploitation and proper news coverage is an extremely important one to follow. Some common news stories that are exploited are domestic violence and suicide. Unfortunately, news providers often unsuspectingly invite viewers to speculate about the details of the individuals' mindsets or reasoning for their actions. This can be extremely harmful for the people involved with the case as well as their friends and relatives. For news providers, this can even impact the public's viewing of the facts of the case. It is important for media outlets to focus on providing the hard facts of the situation instead of affecting the public opinion of the case. 

The Casey Anthony Case

Caylee Anthony (left) and Casey Anthony (Right)

While countless cases are exploited, whether intentionally or unintentionally, one of the most well-known examples is the Casey Anthony Case. The case began on July 15, 2008 when Cindy Anthony, Casey Anthony's mother, reported her granddaughter Caylee Anthony missing. Casey Anthony was charged with the murder of her 2-year old daughter. The case garnered a high-profile during 2011 when the details of the case were extremely publicized. According to John D. Rogers, the prosecution argued that Casey had used chloroform on her daughter before obstructing her mouth with duct tape in order to suffocate her. The defense, on the other hand, argued that Caylee could have died in other accidental ways, with Casey simply disposing the body. The main details that the prosecution used in their argument were chloroform searches on Casey's computer and evidence of human remains in the back of her car. After months of the case, Casey was deemed not guilty of aggravated assault, child neglect, and first-degree murder. She was, however, sentenced to four years and fined $4,000 for providing false information. 

Beth Karas commented on the media's coverage of Anthony's case. According to her, people were "using their vacation in Disney World to also stop in at the Casey Anthony trial" because of how large the trial was in the media. The trial was so popular that it became a form of entertainment for many Americans. However, the prosecution's attempts to portray Casey as a neglectful mother caused her to to become stigmatized in the eye of public media. This also caused difficulties within the jury because was constantly observing media depicting her in this light, which made it difficult to come to an unbiased verdict. 

Even after the trial ended, many people maintained their biased view of Casey Anthony. The exploitation of Anthony's case has followed her ever since, which shows just how important it is to ethically cover tragedies. 

How to Avoid Exploitation

The effects of news exploitation can be detrimental, even if it is done accidentally. Therefore, it is extremely important to be aware of the ways that you can avoid exploitation while still covering the facts of a story. According to NPR, some effective ways to avoid exploitation are acting in your source's best interest, being upfront with individuals when you interview them, and considering whether the subject of the story is able to advocate for themselves. Hanisha Harjani, a freelance journalist, stated "It's really important for vulnerable sources to feel like they have control in this relationship and in this process."

Exploitation can occur in huge cases such as Casey Anthony or small stories on the local news. It's important to remain aware of how the drastic effects can be prevented both as a news writer and viewer. Staying up to date on factual information about cases is one of the best ways to avoid becoming unfairly biased.