Minimizing Harm

As a journalist, I often ask myself what our role is in difficult situations. What do we, as communicators, do? As journalists, we verify information, and beyond that—something emphasized in the journalistic code of ethics—we try to do the least harm possible. “Minimize harm,” says the Society of Professional Journalists in its code of ethics, implies to treat "sources, subjects, colleagues and members of the public as human beings deserving of respect" and to "show compassion for those who may be affected by news coverage. Use heightened sensitivity when dealing with juveniles, victims of sex crimes, and sources or subjects who are inexperienced or unable to give consent."

So, when we receive news or information, do we publish it simply because it’s interesting? Do we publish it because it could affect many people? Why do we publish it? Why is it important?

Let me share a concrete case that affects us significantly, as it involves avoiding chaos. A few days ago, on Tuesday, February 25th, we received information from a community member who sent us a photo and a video showing an officer and some vehicles near a property in the city of Kingston. The person said, “This is ICE,” the immigration police. We said, “Thank you for the information.” They shared the details, and we confirmed with the Kingston city police chief. We asked, “Is this true?” And he said, “Yes, someone else confirmed it.”

We then announced: This is what’s happening. We also knew from reliable sources that it was a targeted operation aimed at specific individuals, not a mass action. They may have had a judicial arrest warrant, and they did have the photo of a person that they were looking for. It wasn’t a raid but rather a “targeted operation”. Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on how you interpret it—the city of Kingston posted on its Facebook page that the “presence” of ICE had been confirmed in Kingston. Without further details and with only the word “presence,” it almost made it seem like ICE was like God, present everywhere.

The local newspaper, the Daily Freeman, picked up the information and published a big headline: ICE is here. That’s not minimizing harm. Certainly, the long article following such an alarming headline talked about the limited information available and mentioned that it was possibly an operation targeting a couple of people. But few read beyond the headlines. Why create more fear?

By midday, the school district sent this message to all families: “Although we have no reason to believe they will be entering our school buildings, I want to assure everyone that our administration is well-versed in state laws and policies that outline our responsibilities for safeguarding our students in such situations.” Again, the intention was apparently to help, but it caused quite a bit of anxiety and fear among students and families. It would have been better to specify that it was not a raid that had occurred that morning, but rather that a person in particular had been sought. It is worth noting that by the end of the day, the school district’s message had been removed from its website.

As I said at the beginning, whether we like it or not, today we are all communicators. So we need to use our tools responsibly. That’s why I’d like to share information on how to report when you see something that you think might be immigration police or any other type of law enforcement: take photos, record videos from a safe distance, and, of course, do not interfere. We do have constitutional rights (wehaverights.us/spanish). You can ask officers what agency they represent and if they have a warrant signed by a judge. That information, along with photos, videos, time, place, and what they were doing, can be shared with local immigrant support groups. As Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa told me, “If you’re standing with both feet on the ground of this country, you have rights.”

Mariel Fiori
Managing Editor

Translated from Spanish by Nohan Meza