ABSTRACT

This historical case study looks at the Oklahoma City bombing through the eyes of the local journalists who covered it. This study examined how theory concerning institutional codes and rules translated to journalism practice during an event that killed 168 people in 1995. More than 1,700 pages of transcripts of interviews with 83 local journalists were reviewed at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. These accounts serve as evidence of a link between professional journalism practices and the institutional rules taught in journalism schools and outlined in journalistic ethics codes. The journalists’ most powerful motivation was a sense of responsibility informed by core journalistic principles such as seeking the truth, providing accurate information, and remaining impartial and fair. The journalists spoke of following unwritten rules calling for risk-taking, emotional detachment, and stoicism. The journalists also talked about experiencing symptoms common to those suffering from trauma-and stressor-related mental disorders. The coverage also was historically significant because of how a bank loan officer’s wrenching Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of an Oklahoma City firefighter holding the body of a bloodied child augured the rise of citizen journalists and the new ethical challenges faced by mainstream media outlets in the coming Internet age.

摘要

这个历史案例研究通过报道它的当地记者的眼睛审视了俄克拉荷马城爆炸案。这项研究调查了在 1995 年造成 168 人死亡的事件中，有关制度规范和规则的理论如何转化为新闻实践。在俄克拉荷马城国家纪念馆和博物馆，对 83 名当地记者的 1,700 多页采访记录进行了审查。这些叙述作为专业新闻实践与新闻学院教授的制度规则之间联系的证据，并在新闻道德准则中概述。记者最强大的动力是一种责任感，这种责任感源于核心新闻原则，例如寻求真相、提供准确信息以及保持公正和公平。记者谈到要遵循不成文的规则，要求冒险、情感超然和坚忍。记者们还谈到了那些患有创伤和压力源相关精神障碍的人常见的症状。该报道还具有历史意义，因为一位银行信贷员拍摄了一位俄克拉荷马城消防员抱着流血儿童尸体的令人痛苦的普利策奖获奖照片，预示着公民记者的兴起以及主流媒体在未来面临的新道德挑战网络时代。