Death is enough harm

If you've picked up a newspaper or watched any television in the past forty-eight hours then you've heard the disturbing news of the Virginia Tech shootings. Coverage is being dealt with in numerous ways. Any potential harm dealing with individuals involved in this accident should be avoided at all costs.

Christine Suh, an ex-member of Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), sent in a letter to Romenesko about how she opposes the media coverage actions offered by AAJA. The following is a statement from AAJA on how to cover the recent shootings.

As coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting continues to unfold, AAJA urges all media to avoid using racial identifiers unless there is a compelling or germane reason. There is no evidence at this early point that the race or ethnicity of the suspected gunman has anything to do with the incident, and to include such mention serves only to unfairly portray an entire people.

I agree with these actions; this way, potential harm is kept out of readers' way. Families and friends of the victims are already dealing with enough pain in this horrific situation. Why add any more tension?

The only way media would be justified to identify race is if every single single person mentioned in the story is labeled by race. However, this would look quite ridiculous, which further backs up the actions of AAJA.

When covering sensitive events such as this, media must be careful to maintain fairness, honesty, and serve the needs of the public. If a person involved in this story were to be isolated because of their race they would have their rights violated. Every single person has a right to not be discriminated against. Mills also supports the action of AAJA by claiming we should act in a manner that produces the greatest good for the greatest amount of people.