Respect The Dignity Of Victims And Grieving Families, Exercise Greater Editorial Restraint -- CMCF

CYBERJAYA, April 2 (Bernama) -- Journalists and content creators are urged to respect the dignity of victims and exercise greater editorial restraint when covering tragedies, including the use of visuals, to avoid re-traumatising and harassing grieving families.

Communications and Multimedia Content Forum (CMCF) chief executive officer Mediha Mahmood said the industry must distinguish between public interest and public attention, noting that the demand for sensational visuals does not justify exploiting personal suffering.

"The ultimate thing is public interest. If we want to release news or anything about current issues, public interest is number one. Public attention is not public interest.

“Just because the public demands to see these pictures doesn't mean it's in their interest to do so," she said during a media briefing on content guidelines at the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) here, today.

She noted that the core question in reporting should always be whether a visual is being used to inform or to inflame the audience.

"Our editorial judgment doesn't end when their lives end. They still have the right to their privacy and dignity. The simple question that we ask is, if we use this picture, does it respect the victim? Does it respect the deceased? Does it respect the family?” she emphasised.

In line with global standards of ethical journalism, Mediha stressed that newsrooms should acknowledge the potential harm to their staff from exposure to graphic content and implement proactive measures to safeguard their teams.

"When you're reporting, you must understand that images can harm even more than words. It can trigger distress for people who may not be related and can open old wounds. The question is whether this picture is being used to inform or inflame.

"Best practices for newsrooms involve limiting repeated exposure to distressing visuals, rotating assignments if you can, and also having a clear review and approval process so nobody is responsible all on their own," she elaborated.

Mediha also noted that technical fixes, such as blurring, are often insufficient, as family members may still recognise their loved ones through clothing, tattoos, or vehicle license plates. She recommended cropping or full substitution of images as more effective alternatives.

"We have pictures of the dead people, we have pictures of the accident, but we blur them. Is that enough? If you look at international standards and Malaysian standards, blurring is a technical fix for an ethical problem. 

"Because when you blur, yes, you don't identify, but you don't necessarily remove the harm. Think about a blurred face of a victim of a car crash, you blur the face, but you can see the blood, you can see the posture, you can see the context," she said.  

She added that Malaysia has a national Content Code, a set of guidelines outlining best practices and ethical standards for the creation and compilation of content.

"In the long run, public trust is built not just on what you show, but on what you choose not to show. Credibility is more valuable than short-term engagement," she concluded.

-- BERNAMA