We were given an assignment recently that gave us various scenarios concerning printing obscenities and how we would or would not print obscenities in each of the cases. With respect to obscenity, every publication’s standard seems to be different.
With respect to the assignment, I personally see no reason to differentiate the standard between printed material and online material – one has no privilege over the other, just ease and fees. Nevertheless, my responses to each incident are all similar, though the rationale may be different in each case.
In every case, as a member of the Fourth Estate, it is my obligation to print the truth, no matter how graphic, vulgar, or obscene. If the truth is not reported, everything else is irrelevant.
Scenario 1: Deb Woodell is a homemaker in Glassboro, N.J., who wants to wear her own heirloom tap shoes to class at the new dance academy on High Street, but officials at the place say that the taps do not conform to current tap standards and will damage the floors. In response to being denied, Woodell sets up Occupy Dance Hall in front of the building in protest. When interviewed by your reporter, she rails against the establishment and says, in part, “These assholes wouldn’t know heirloom tap shoes from a hole in the ground.”
According to the Associated Press Stylebook 2011, obscenities normally should not be included in a story “unless they are part of direct quotations and there is a compelling reason for them.” In this case, the use of profanity highlights Ms. Woodell’s level of frustration against the dance academy on High Street, and also makes for a hook or at the very least an interesting closing. AP rules also state that the story should have an indication of containing obscene or vulgar language at the top, such as “Story includes vulgarity.”
In the interest of printing the truth and also advising readers as to the content of our paper, I would offer a warning about content and print the obscenity as “a*******.”
Scenario 2: When campaigning for president in 2000, George W. Bush was caught unawares by an open microphone, saying “There’s that asshole from the Times.”
Political coverage seems to get just as dirty as some candidates, sometimes to the extent that publications are accused of harboring some kind of agenda against the candidate. However, reporting on politics demands the clear-cut truth about the nature of politicians, from their actions to their speech, including the bizarre (such as presidents vomiting on dignitaries at congressional dinners, choking on pretzels, or shooting friends in the face with birdshot).
I remember when this incident happened. And, I remember the reaction it generated. A similar incident occurred last year in July following the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Obama was quoted by CNN as saying “I don’t sit around talking to experts because this is a college seminar…We talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick.” CNN printed the obscenity in full, in the headline and the body of the story (http://articles.cnn.com/2010-06-07/politics/gulf.oil.obama_1_rig-oil-company-bp-offshore-oil?_s=PM:POLITICS).
Such an obscenity is generally mild and is usually printed nowadays, though certain obscenities are more harsh than others. In this particular case, printing the story itself may generate accusations that the publication is trying to put the president in a negative light, but nevertheless, it is the truth of what occurred–just as true as the Bush administration’s decision to embed pro-war reporters with front-line military units during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequently Baghdad so as to generate only positive coverage of the initial war effort.
Therefore, with respect to the truth and in adherence to AP standards concerning vulgar content, I would print the obscenity as “a******,” but I would not name the reporter to which the obscenity was addressed.
Scenario 3: After leaving the Philadelphia 76ers over philosophical differences, Larry Brown quickly found work coaching the Detroit Pistons. Upon being questioned at a public news conference about why he left Philadelphia, he replied, “I got tired of coaching assholes.”
Most recently, some sports announcers were caught on camera unaware that they were being filmed and/or recorded live. As far as I know, the content was not edited. So, if accidental coverage of anchormen can be printed and broadcasted, I see no reason to withhold a deliberate comment from the presses. However, this particular language is strong and may offend some younger reasons, who may view athletes and their coaches as role models.
Out of concern for readers, the integrity of the paper, and following AP guidelines, I would again offer a warning to readers at the top of the article regarding story content, and then print the obscenity as “a*******.”
