How Do We Keep a Distance from Our Subjects, While Creating In-Depth Stories?

Author

Heather Kay EricsonFollow

Graduation Year

January 2011

Graduation Month

December

Document Type

Professional Paper

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

School or Department

Journalism

Faculty Mentor Department

Journalism

Faculty Mentor

Carol VanValkenburg

Faculty Reader(s)

Keith Graham

Keywords

human trafficking, journalism, objectivity

Subject Categories

Journalism Studies

Abstract

Goma Rai was sold into prostitution in Bombay when she was thirteen years old. She was raped and brutalized and endured situations many of us only see in our nightmares. She escaped this life, but not without repercussions. Rai has AIDS, was shunned from her country and society, and now has to cope with these struggles. She formed an organization, Shakti Milan Samaj, to empower HIV/AIDS affected women by involving themselves in society through training and to change the negative attitude against HIV. The organization also pays for medications and medical treatment. I went to Nepal this summer for six weeks and while there captured the images and voices of those harmed by human trafficking. Goma Rai gave me an exclusive interview where she discussed with me intimate details of her situation. In my five-minute multi-media I show how this third world country is affected by human trafficking.

In my research paper I talked to journalists, Karen Coates, Jerry Redfern, Durga Ghimire, Kelly McBride, Thomas Nybo, and Holly Pickett to discuss with them how to report internationally on human dilemma stories, like Goma Rai's story. The reporters talk about how different it is when you are in the real world and faced with an ethical dilemma. After hearing their stories of difficult stories they covered, such as child labor overseas, poverty-stricken families in Chicago, human trafficking and other stories where people were hurting and needed help, I have come to the conclusion that international reporting on controversial social issues is a challenge. It is important for us to learn and think about what we will do in situations before they happen, but those conclusions can change with time and the situation.

Honors College Research Project

Yes

Recommended Citation

Ericson, Heather Kay, "How Do We Keep a Distance from Our Subjects, While Creating In-Depth Stories?" (2011). Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts. 1.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/utpp/1