Victimizing the Victim?

Was apparent kidnapping victim, Shawn Hornbeck, victimized again by media coverage that seemed to blame him for not escaping?

In looking at the recent story concerning Shawn Hornbeck, did the media go to far with the news coverage of the kidnapping? There is a fine ethical line that should not be crossed when dealing with sensitive news topics. In the case of Shawn Hornbeck, the media crossed this line. Michael Devlin held Shawn captive for nearly four years. While immediate news coverage of the kidnapping focused on Michael’s physical and emotional condition; soon after, the media blamed Michael for not being rescued sooner. The television and print media was wrong to point the finger at Michael. They were way too personal in asking Shawn and his family why he did not try to escape. The media should have been more neutral in addressing the issue of kidnappings. They should have done their research and conducted some investigative reporting as to why kidnapped children don’t escape when they have the chance.

In this particular news story, it seems evident that the media was asking all the wrong questions. They were asking the questions that their paying audience wanted to hear not the questions that would help Michael and his family. They did not truly take Michael and his family’s well being into account. The journalists covering this story should have let the dust clear and allow the trial to be resolved before asking this interrogating question. However, blaming Michael for not escaping helped to increase newspaper and television ratings. The media created a whole new story instead of truly focusing on the recent kidnapping.

There are many alternate ways the media could have covered this kidnapping without asking Michael why didn’t he escape. Journalists should have focused on previous kidnappings and analyzed the issue of escape. In addition, the timing of this particular question was very inappropriate. As mentioned before, the media should have been more sensitive to the Hornbeck family. It may have seemed like the media was trying to cover all angles of the story and be objective but this is not the case. For example, would it have been appropriate to ask victims of the hurricane Katrina disaster why didn’t they try to escape the storm? In times of crisis, the media should strive to be on the victims’ side and not create distress and controversy

In conclusion, the media industry needs to severely reevaluate their ethical standards. Unfortunately, corporations that are only concerned about profit and viewer ratings control the journalism industry. While objective and ethical journalism may seem like an unattainable ideal, is not impossible to achieve. It should be interesting to see how the media responds to the next major American crisis, whether it be a war, natural disaster, or kidnapping.


Victor Montoro
BTMM grad student (spring 07)