Investigative Journalism & SPJ Code of Ethics-Mỹ Lai massacre
Tyran Jackson
20 January 2022
Investigative Journalism-Mỹ Lai massacre
In 1968, United States Army soldiers committed the mass murder of several hundred civilians in a South Vietnamese village. It is known as the Mỹ Lai massacre. A New York Times reporter, Seymour Hersh, interviewed Lieutenant William Calley Jr. about the incident. Calley was the commanding officer for the infantry responsible for the massacre.
The news values in this investigative journalism project are currency, proximity, prominence, and controversy/conflict. First, the story was current because the Vietnam War was happening and on the minds of many. Second, the story had the proximity news value because many citizens had relatives and loved ones fighting in the war. Third, the story had prominence because the United States government covered up the massacre from the public. Finally, the report had the controversy/conflict news value because the government was charged with covering up a mass murder by commissioned U.S. Army soldiers.
The SPJ Code of Ethics applies several principles to this investigative journalism example. First, Hersh followed the “Seek Truth and Report It” principle of recognizing the obligation to ensure the government conducts business in the open and that public records are available to all (SPJ Code of Ethics, 2008). Second, Hersh followed a “Minimize Harm” principle. Hersh balanced Calley’s right to a fair trial with the public’s right to know about the massacre.
Hersh uncovered the story by following a tip from a fellow journalist, Geoffrey Cowan. Geoffrey Cowan received the tip from a friend of his with a source in the military. Hersh’s reporting methods were telephone calls, interviews, and travel. First, Hersh researched the story by making telephone calls to Fort Benning, where Calley was held. Next, Hersh traveled to interview Calley and his lawyer. Finally, Hersh used testimonies from Calley’s fellow officers who witnessed the massacre. The officers interviewed were Sgt. Michael Bernhardt and Michael Terry. Paul Meadlo, a farmer who saw Calley’s platoons enter the Mỹ Lai village, also testified (HERSH, n.d.).
As a result of this journalistic endeavor, Lieutenant William Calley Jr. was found guilty of the murder of 22 South Vietnamese civilians in 1971. Calley was first sentenced to life in prison, but the sentence was reduced. Calley was released in 1974. There were twenty-five other officers and men charged in the My Lai massacre, although none were convicted. Hersh won the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for reporting the Mỹ Lai massacre (HERSH, n.d.).
References
HERSH, S. (n.d.). 'I sent them a good boy and they made him a murderer.' The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved January 20, 2022, from https://www.pulitzer.org/article/i-sent-them-good-boy-and-they-made-him-murderer
SPJ Code of Ethics. (2008, December 18). Society of Professional Journalists. Retrieved January 20, 2022, from http://spj.org/ethicscode.asp