Media Ethics: Be careful what you wish for

I often warn my business and government audiences to be extremely careful of making statements around the media. Be prepared to back up everything you say.  Often Media Ethics are nonexistent or sorely lacking.

It is not that all individuals within the media are necessarily bad people; over the years I have met some fine reporters and editors. But recently, I have encountered untrained and unaware individuals who do not understand the elements of a balanced story or of good journalism.

We all know the media has changed. Due to the explosion of broadcast outlets in addition to the competitive nature of the business, inaccuracies abound. Sometimes, the lack of fact checking becomes unethical. Why would stories be published based on rumor or innuendo? Because they can. Your very best defense is always the truth.

Unethical Rumor, a Defense – and a Question

I’ve never met Jenny McCarthy of the television show The View, but as any parent I can feel some of her pain. In 2005, her son was diagnosed with autism. It is a sad diagnosis to be sure. We all want the children in our families or those of our friends to be happy and healthy. Money, fame, social status, good looks or just being a good person, doesn’t mean much to a childhood disease. It is heartbreak and we must deal with it in any way we can.

When Ms. McCarthy learned the diagnosis she fought back. She went public and it led her to writing two books about her family’s struggle:  Louder than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism and Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds.

I remember reading that the medical establishment did not agree with her words; she was slammed in fact, but as a parent I cannot help but admire her courage.

The media, perhaps needing something to stir the pot, recently tried to debunk the fact that Jenny McCarthy’s son is autistic. This attack seemed to come out of “nowhere,” and this is why I stress about being careful of public statements especially when issues are controversial.

The debunking of her son’s diagnosis appeared in a major national magazine and then, “bless them,” the gossip sites picked it up.

Gossip sites love to tear people down. I might add that when Ms. McCarthy defended herself, with facts, the gossip sites removed the story.

The recent dynamics of this particular media circus have been reported in an online article (Zach Johnson, eonline, January 6, 2014) entitled: “Jenny McCarthy Slams Rumor That Her Son Evan Was Misdiagnosed With Autism: It’s ‘Irresponsible and Inaccurate.’”

Ms. McCarthy reportedly stated:

“’Stories circulating online, claiming that I said my son Evan may not have autism after all, are blatantly inaccurate and completely ridiculous;’ McCarthy tweetedon Saturday, Jan. 4. ‘Evan was diagnosed with autism by the Autism Evaluation Clinic at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital and was confirmed by the State of California (through their Regional Center). The implication that I have changed my position, that my child was not initially diagnosed with autism (and instead may suffer from Landau-Kleffner Syndrome), is both irresponsible and inaccurate.’”

Beware Idle Gossip

To be sure, Ms. McCarthy doesn’t always help her cause. Maybe it is because she is not always taken seriously. As recently as 2012 she was posing nude for an adult magazine (she has done so several times before). When she joined The View, she sometimes espoused a rather conservative/religious approach claiming she had a spiritual awakening after her son’s diagnosis, which gives puzzling mixed messages. Therefore, she is being roasted by both the “Left” and the “Right.”

Still, I am struck with the “why” and the “how” of unethical gossip and how it can turn on us. Even if this was a story about someone other than Jenny McCarthy, but perhaps you or me, we must recognize that boundaries no longer exist. You can say anything about anyone. Everything is public and that’s a problem.

Ms. McCarthy on The View, and Ms. McCarthy in Playboy or in the movies, are facets of her career image. It is a person who acts a certain role. The Jenny McCarthy who undoubtedly wept at the diagnosis given her by her child’s physicians is the private person. In the old days, private meant private. Those days are gone.

If we play with the media, the media may play us. Understand the rules and the ethics involved. Be armed with the truth and be armed with good sense.

I can’t say I agree that Ms. McCarthy always acts with good sense, but as long as she has truth on her side, she can face the future with courage.

YOUR COMMENTS AS ALWAYS ARE WELCOME!