FLDS smear: Utah’s KUTV-2 violates journalistic ethics in murder case
When KUTV-2 and decides to fan the flames of religious bigotry, they do it with gusto. This morning, Salt Lake’s Channel 2 prominently featured the story shown below, falsely implying that a Utah teen’s former association with the FLDS faith was a cause of his crime. Later, the SLTrib chimed in him, labeling him an “FLDS Lost Boy.” When it rains, it pours!
In fact, scratching ever so slightly below the surface, one notes that in addition to the fact that rape and murder are prohibited by the FLDS faith, the kid was nearly drunk enough when he committed crime to earn a lesser sentence. So, while the writer wants to say “this guy is a criminal because of his FLDS roots,” the causal relationship is exactly the opposite. If he were still faithful FLDS, he would never do such a thing.
The story reveals more about the author’s (and the TV channel’s) bigotry and bad journalistic ethics than it does about anything else. Relevant parts of the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics are reproduced below. Can you imagine the headline, “Former Baptist/Methodist/Presbyterian Teen Guilty of Murder And Aggravated Sexual Assault”? And we never hear of protestant “lost boys”. Yet far more former Baptists and Methodist teens than FLDS ones have committed such crimes. Shame on you, Channel 2!
From the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists
— Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.
— Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status.
6 comments
Is there really a group recognized as the Society of Professional Journalists?
I bet you had to dust that old book off to find those Codes!
Actually, yes there is a SPJ. The SPJs ethics page — which probably none of them ever look at — is at http://www.spj.org/ethics.asp. I was once the outside ethics trainer for a major cable TV network headquartered in Atlanta. Bet you can’t guess which one.
Does Nancy disGrace work there?
Ha ha ha!
It definitely is a smear on the FLDS. It reinforces stereotypes and paints the FLDS culture as having produced this predatory criminal.
The reader comments at the SLTrib range from blaming the defendant to blaming the FLDS “predatory, abusive” culture.
So let’s see. This young man rejected his FLDS faith, which eschews drugs, alcohol, and premarital sex and promotes hard work, individual responsibility, accountability and community service. He was expelled from the community for rebellious behavior. Years later he murdered and raped a young woman in a drunken, drug addled stupor, but it was Warren Jeffs who pulled the trigger. Perhaps the state can trump up some charges against Warren Jeffs as accessory to rape and murder by virtue of the fact that Mr. Jeffs is Mr. Dutson’s former “spiritual leader”. Well, it makes perfect sense.
I really wonder how many people would be second guessing this type of reporting only 4 months ago. This type of reporting which is typical when it comes to the FLDS.
It seems that the raid has had some benifits. Though it is a shame children have had to suffer for it.
I would like to point you all to this again:
http://www.truthwillprevail.org/index.php?parentid=1&index=68
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