There's good journalism. There's bad journalism. And then there's the gritty, cold-blooded journalism that you never want to get involved with.
After some e-mails with my professor, I learned that the mother I interviewed is a victim of domestic abuse. So if I published the soundslide, the mother's husband might hunt down her and her children.
This project reached a grim twist that even I didn't want to get into. It's like the frightening mystery movies my mom always watches, where the murderer is hell-bent on revenge at all costs.
I'm going to cut out all the photos and interviews of her from my soundslide. I'm glad I found out what was troubling that mother. However, maybe it was something that I really shouldn't have asked about.
Yet, it's all so real and shocking that I can't get the whole predicament out of my head. I don't want to believe that this really happens to people, but it does. Although I'm erasing the mother's interview from my public records, my last conversation with her will always grip my heart like a vice. It's a thrilling story, but it's also one that sends horrific, blood-curdling shock waves through my spine.
So even altering the names in the story isn't an option?
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about this situation. Ah, ethics at play.
Well, I guess I could alter the names. But the big problem is that this is a soundslide. I don't even think the professor thought that we'd ever find someone with a past this dark. We can't leave any visual or auditory record of her, unless we do some black silhouette effects and we mask her voice.
ReplyDeleteI've never done that before. It would be good experience. Still, I don't think I have enough time to do that in this project. Oh the shame. Lol.