Assignement 2

Sever The Truth!

“ Media are one of the most important “truth-seeking” institutions.” (Couldry, 2013, p. 16). One of the main aims of Journalism is to inform the public of what’s going on in the world: to deliver the truth. The role of Journalism is to protect interests and needs of Society against abuse.

In the interview extract of “ The Network”, Will McAvoy is discussing with the aid of the senator Nick Santorum, on the senator’s stand on social issues. He starts by presenting the situation by letting us know that the senator finds that same sex marriage are threatening to his marriage and all marriage and it threatens the values of his country. The senator states so to a newspaper. He, then, starts questioning slowly and calmly the senator’s deputy chief of staff and then the speed of the questions starts accelerating as soon as the opponent starts to escape the truth. McAvoy starts asking him about the senator’s opinion and then his personal life and his behavior with his wife and kids. When things starts heating up the advisor of the campaign, decides to stop commenting and refuses to answer further question. The Journalists takes that as a challenge and continues his interview, this time he plays on the weak spot of his opponent, he talks to him about his color and sexual orientation. This seemed to have pissed of more the senator’s aid that felt threatened as well. From that he starts telling his truthful thoughts and opinion about his superior. The Interview ends with one very simple key question: “ Does Mr. Santorum think that you are fit to be a teacher?” and the answer that comes out was “No”! From that small and last question, the journalist has accomplished his duty; he has exposed a truth and served his audience.

“Consequentialism seems an obvious viewpoint for ethics, since we are accustomed to considering consequences when we make decisions.” (WARD, 2011,p40). We can consider that McAvoy’s act was an act of consequentialism, because he focused on serving his audience and gave them the satisfaction. He decided to take action that he consider good in order to satisfy his audience, yet this action could have gone completely wrong and served as a “non-consequential” action. “Non-consequential theories hold that what makes an act right is not its consequences. An act is right because it honors an obligation or fulfills a duty, even if fulfilling the duty has negative consequences, or sets back our interest”. (WARD, 2011, page 40).

Though McAvoy was very aggressive, he insisted on getting the truth in order to serve his obligations as a journalist. Does his aggressive behavior justify for his aim? I believe so. But I also believe that he could have done all of this very calmly and by simply tricking his opponent, slowly.

To answer the main question now: “ Was Will McAvoy right to insist on having the last word in the interview with Nick Santorum’s aid?”

He delivered the truth and served his purpose as a Journalist. I believe that he was right to insist, because by insisting he tricked his opponent to say something that he was refusing to say. He pushed him to admit a hidden truth and to face it. He made him see that he was supporting a man that went against him.

References:

· “‪The Newsroom Homosexuality” Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10uIpFWdFwY

· “ Will McAvoy’s Apology (The Newsroom)- Youtube

Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXrOqjS9ZyA

· Ward Stephen J.A.. (2011). Ethics and the Media.

Cambridge University Press.