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The United States of America is a special nation, with a manifest destiny to become the protectors of the free world. And so the ironic battle begins here as we began to realize that the free world is in a paradox of itself. As protectors, this ideological thinking has grown into a foreign policy, and freedom is no longer just a gift but instead every humans right and a moral of society. Since 1776, when America had declared freedom its almost as if freedom became a never-ending battle to fight for. And as if on a crusade the United States has enforced their ethics creating an ideological illusion to be enforced globally by the most powerful individual and in turn protected by the most powerful country in the world.
This never-ending war for individual freedom has resulted in an inevitable Yin Yang, conflict of values, a creation of heaven vs. hell, and thus concluded to an ideological battle of Good vs. Evil. This disagreement of Good Vs.
Evil is taken upon as a war for individual freedom fought at all costs even if the ends justify the means along with the theory that violence outside the law to achieve justice is acceptable. This above the law status created by American ideals has sunk into the blood and veins of the people. Other myth such as technology, being the protector and savior of the people, is demonstrated by the status of the United States as a world super power. All these myths help to form a culture of individuality and heroic mindsets. These ethics grow out of myths and transform into reality as Americans witness, its government policies leap into international waters to take action, through their technological savior: the media. The ideology of America has created a visible paradox making it evident of a glitch in its media, culture, and society.
By analyzing the ideology of the American individualistic culture that is appraised in Society and in fact practiced by the American society in its foreign policies of a holy war can in fact become hypocritical of itself. Through a Micro Level prospective, a media case study of an Investigative Journalist arouses issues of ethics that make it evident to find the paradox in the so called free world. Long before September 11 th Anti American Terrorists existed all over the world. But on September 11 th the United States uncovered a new enemy. President Bush described this new type of enemy as one that America has never faced before. Terrorism is growing to become an enemy so difficult to face because the American people need to personify their enemy in order for an Evil to exist.
And the man without a face was given one when the United States, shortly after September eleventh, unveiled Osama Bin Laden as the Evil. September 11 th displayed the horrors of terrorism on such an enormous scale that 9 / 11 becomes an abstract to the American Public. The fact that it is hard to connect and personalize with such a disaster makes it an abstract. People in America due to its ethical ideology of individualism find a need to identify with single beings. However, during the September 11 th media coverage, a decision to not take pictures of body parts being scooped up was done so in the best interest of the American public. September 11 th already being of such great impact in American society, making even the image difficult to bear, proves that shocking and horrifying are not the best way to achieve an impact on the American public.
This demands an inevitable need for moral and social responsibility for journalists who are responsible, as public figures, to deliver news in a fair, well prompt, and articulate way which obliges the media because it has such a power, given by the people, on impacting and shaping events that occur. Good vs. Evil is in a paradox of itself because what is Good in America is actually Evil in the eyes of its enemies. The American public had categorized what Good and what was evil. Good became associated with democracy and Evil became associated with terrorism. And Journalism served in the free world as a watchdog of democracy.
The line of duty, as journalists, is to try their best to get news to the American public in a method that follows ethical standards. Journalists often get caught standing behind the first amendment, freedom of speech which unintentionally conflicts with the ethics of journalism. This conflict in the media helps to prove the paradox in the free world. Through CBS and Boston Phoenix news coverage of Daniel Pearls kidnapping and murder, there is evidence of journalistic ethics being broken by the media in order to preserve freedom of speech. This issue at hand involves specifically the Boston Phoenix's decision to provide a story, pictures, and a link to the abduction and assassination of Wall Street Journalist, Daniel Pearl.
The release of this video and Governments eagerness to ban this information brings to attention the paradox of the free world. Good vs. Evil is in a paradox of itself because what is good in America is actually evil in the eyes of its enemies. Through this issue and conflict the limits of democracy and simultaneously the limits of journalism are being tested. The facts are: Investigative reporter Daniel Pearl is kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan. He is held captive and told to speak about his ethnicity being of Jewish American.
He is obviously forced to mouth hateful words against Americans while images of human suffering flash in and out. He speaks on behalf of the militants goal to release prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, by comparing himself to those held in captivity. Daniel Pearl was held captive until the demands of the militant group were met. They were not. Then a video tape is produced of the kidnapping, murder, and decapitation of Daniel Pearl. The video is delivered in the name of NRMSP to the U.
S consulate in Karachi, Pakistan. There is, without a doubt, that this video must be taken into serious consideration before revealing its contents and making sure to expose it to the public in a responsible manner. The Government finds its hands tied behind their backs in quite an irony when the Boston Phoenix as a Alternative Newspaper claims its right to freedom of speech in providing a link to view the murder of Daniel Pearl. While at the same the Media find themselves in a political frenzy not only with the government but within the journalism Code of Ethics which encourages reporting news in a non-bias fashion. This comes to involve another major factor in this issue which is the Parents of Daniel Pearl that represent all those that would be harmed by public viewing of this video also implying the breaking of the Journalism Code of Ethics. The American people rely on public enlightenment but how much can be revealed that can be responsibly acknowledge?
Is there a limit? The root of the dilemma begins with the paradox created by the protectors of the free world ideology which is evident in the American government global relations as depicted in the article from Time magazine In This Case, Might Is Right. Through the debate of Boston Phoenix's publisher Steven Munich and his opposition Marvin Kalb we can discover the conflict from both sides of the story and then in turn pay attention to the voice of the American people. Steven Mindichs strongest argument stands behind the first amendment while Marvin Kalb's (Executive Director of Harvard Press Politics and Public Policy) macro vision of the war on Terrorism is a battle to be won at home by protecting the American public from the insecurity that terrorism aims to reach. As publisher of an alternative newspaper, Steven Mindich does not doubt the fact...
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Research essay sample on Freedom Of Speech Code Of Ethics
