Elian Gonzalez

Jay

Journalism Law and Ethics

Professor:

The saga of Elian Gonzalez would long be remembered in the United State of America. It was the gruesome story of a six -year -old boy who survived a boat wreck, while seeking refuge in the United States with his mother. The fate of the mother was short of her son's. Elian's misfortune out at sea appeared to be an audition for the short-lived moments he shared before television cameras.

The first amendment rights, has endowed the media with the freedom of speech. That free expressions has also given the general public the right to stay informed about the issues that are relative to the average citizen. The challenge of the media is to be as objective as possible. Affiliates of the industry are chartered to tell the truth regardless of the consequences.

It is true that the boy was found in open sea, and it is also true that he suffered the lost of his mother. But it is difficult to figure out the statements made by members of the Cuban American community and his relatives in Miami, of the ill treatment he was exposed to in Cuba. The media fed into this notion, they printed and broadcasted on these assumptions. The New York Times portrayed Juan Miguel Gonzalez (the boy's father) as a puppet of the Cuban government and said it is because he is being brainwashed he has decided to stay in his native land. On arrival on United States soil the six -year-old child was in perfect health physically and mentally, even though he had been in open seas for about two days. It was the way in which the media covered the story that gave the illusion of an infected situation.

Many newsrooms were anxious to tell the ultimate story of Elian and his new experience in the United States. The boy's place of temporary residence was under media surveillance for at least 20 hours a day. It was calculated, that by March 27, 2000 almost 12,000 articles on political policies that surround the story were printed, not one of these stories focused on a direct conversation with the young Mr. Gonzalez. It would take ABC and Diane Sawyer to attempt to clarify and amend the media's approach to the story. But in their quest to minimize or stay away from political connotation, they couldn't.

On the ABC presentation that aired on March 27th, 2000 of Good morning America, the headline read, "Six- Year-Old Cuban Boy Talks About How He Survived Shipwreck That Took His Mother's Life". The anchor for that segment was Diane Sawyer and the reporter was Joel Segal. The headline suggested that the public would be presented for the first time, with a first hand account on how the boy defied death, and was delivered from his ordeal on day as significant as Thanks Giving Day.

Instead Walters injected her opinions and utilized comments from political heads and groups, of the future of the child, whether he should stay in the United States or return to Cuba. She used a quote from the President of Cuba, Fidel Castro were he denounced the interview as a "desperate attempt" to " make the boy talk because the cause is lost; because the time to turn over the child is nearing" Using this political statement from the labeled "communist leader" could only spark conflict among Cuban-American citizens who have little or no regard for the Cuban president. A more tactful approach to minimize civil tension should have been sought by the producers of Good Morning America and 20/20 where the interview was aired.

Diane Sawyer's charisma and disciplined approach to the art of reporting was the deciding factor in obtaining the interview. The boy's Miami kin chose Sawyer because in the past she had favorable interviews with children. However, one of the "Code of Ethics" that are guidelines for Journalist and Reporters were over- looked. In order to minimize harm a Journalist should " Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects." Elian Gonzalez fell under this code.

This code may have been the deciding factor why other News agencies were not too ready to get an up close and personal interview with the little boy. Their approach may have been to observe and document the activities that were happening with and around him. But ABC may have thought if they can provide or present a psychiatrist at the interview it would not appear to be that bad. A professional would be on hand to decode behavioral attitudes and this would make the interview viewer friendly, it would be more like an analytical process rather than a cut and dry question and response exchange.

When medical experts examine clients their diagnosis becomes private information. When Sawyer mentioned that the psychiatrist told her that " a sudden break in his (Elian) new attachment to his cousin (in Miami) could be devastating to the boy, who may have seen his mother die" she crossed the sensitivity barrier. Even though it was an expert account, consideration should have been made to the effect that the break in the relationship he shared with his father had probably accelerated his level of devastation.

At times it seem like Sawyer was leaning towards the side of the Gonzalez's Miami family. Her conversation with Marisleysis Gonzalez and her involvement with the six-year old boy lend to that illusion especially when she said, " a child with the desperate need for comfort and protection who instinctively chose a woman who could provide for it. And his eyes ask the question - how can the U.S. government enforce the law without hurting a little boy".

Why did ABC choose to air this interview, was it a scheme to boost the networks ratings, or out of concern of the boy's fate? For the 20/20 segment of the interview little promotion was done. This decision was made to downplay the possibility that the station was trying to manipulate the boy in for the sake of higher ratings.

The techniques that Sawyer used were admirable in the eyes of young and seasoned journalist alike. Her ability to generate a rapport with Elian and allow him to be comfortable showed that she studied her subject and embarked on tactics to achieve the ultimate interview. She allowed the boy to superficially be in charge by giving him the privilege to draw and write as she pretended to be a sponge in his world. As Sawyer played with his toys and listened to the translation of their conversation she concluded that the child was disciplined and well mannered. Her new awareness would be the deciding factor in the way the interview would go.

Prior to the interview the Miami relatives assured Sawyer that they