Hiccup on teen mom feature ...

Agree 100 percent.

 

I don't worry about comments. If you did you would want to commit suicide after reading the comments on half your stories. People who would harass her for essentially being raped are few and far between and there are likely none who would do it to her face. However, the amount people who would feel sympathy for her because of what she went through is vast. You can't worry about the jackasses in the world. You wouldn't be able to live your life because there are too many.

This is all assuming it wasn't really consensual and the uncle has been forced out of the picture. May not be the case. Either way your duty is to the readers first and foremost and I'm pretty sure a large majority where ever this guy is would want to know about this story. If you don't write anything at all then you are betraying what it means to be a journalist to me. If you thought it was worth doing the story, and he obviously did, you don't write absolutely nothing just because you uncovered something the person may not want covered. This is akin to covering a game, having a girl miss three free throws right at the end as her team loses by one and deciding to not write a gamer because it would look bad for the girl.

 

I disagree. There are many reasons, some legal, to not write a story about a victim or rape and incest.

But I also would not want to write a feel-good story about her dealing with being a teen mom and ignoring the rest.

Many potentially great stories never get in the paper.

 

Your ending comparison might be the single worst analogy and lack of persective I have ever seen on this message board (and maybe anywhere in life). Talking about her missing free throws in public in a basketball game is the same as telling the whole town she was raped by her uncle?

 

Yeah, but it was three free throws. That would sting some.

 

Your duty as a journalist is not to the readership. We're a filter for the readership.

I know where LevinTBlack works and I'm betting if you write a story on some girl bricking three free throws at the end of the game, you wouldn't get a favorable response from your bosses.

 

This fake post is still active?

 

I would still write a story on the game because the game was worth covering hence why I would be there. I wouldn't name her but I would mention it as the critical point. Not doing so would be purposefully misrepresenting what decided the outcome. There is a way to cover things without pointing the finger directly at one person.

 

You have to pursue it. There's no questioning that. Based on what the girl says or is willing to say will take you on the correct path. Learning of something bad and deciding to then do nothing and not even pursue it is wrong in my opinion. I believe my analogy fits. You are about to cover write a story, you learn of something bad and choose to do nothing. Why? You can do the interview and figure out how to go from there.

If she was essentially raped and asks nothing be mentioned of it then don't mention it but still do the story on her being a teenage mom. You thought it was worth doing before why would it change then.

If she is fine with it being mentioned or even explained then why wouldn't you run it? If she is OK with it then you shouldn't run it.

Either way you should be doing a story.

 

That's pathetic.

 

Wow. Just wow.

 

He's not wrong. As a journalist, your duty should be reporting the truth, fairly and accurately. Not giving the readers what they want to read. I'm sure many readers want everything to be peaches and blowjobs. But it doesn't always work that way, does it?