Reporters raided the recent San Bernardino shooting suspects’ home on Friday, a surprising act involving the invasion of privacy. Although digging into privacy can be part of the job description, ripping apart someone’s house and making conclusions on live TV is an entirely different type of invasion. This invades the person’s entire life, and the house is rented by suspects, not convicted shooters.
The Guardian did a good job covering this story with its transparency and intertextuality, and talked to both the reporters and the law enforcement, along with the landlord. All sides of the story were heard. They were also smart enough to see the story in how unusual the situation with the flood of reporters was over the shooting suspects, which were obviously being well-covered.
Some pictures from The Globe and Mail show how crowded the house was, and what the reporters found interesting. Most photos provided are of Islamic memorabilia and of the suspects. They go as far as to touch and pick up photographs and rifle through medicine (see: pepto bismol), all entirely unnecessary to a story with out any actuals convictions yet.
The Daily Caller shows just how deeply sickening the media showed malpractice, airing healthcare information, licenses, passports, and even social security cards. Children and other deeply personal information and photos were shown, and more than not the landlord is quoted saying the reporters “rushed in.”
To wander into someone’s home as a complete stranger is entirely unacceptable.
Source: Journalism and Ethics