Mass Media and Ethics
The media plays a huge role in trafficking in the Ukraine. Members of the media are realizing just how wrong human trafficking is after years of thinking it was normal. Or at least normal to the point that they did not think they could do anything to stop it. The majority of articles written try to raise awareness of the issue of human trafficking. One of the ways they do that is by sharing stories of victims. The journalists in the Ukraine want to change the way Ukrainians view human trafficking. Ukrainian Government as well as NGOs have many campaigns going on TV and in print to raise awareness of the dangers of human trafficking and how to actively try an avoid it. Since many Ukrainian people think of prostituted people as willing participants, the media is actively trying to change that perception so that they are more likely to get the help they need.
As of recently yes, they are trying to humanize trafficking victims. This is a recent thing though, it seems like they did not pay much attention to it until other countries started stepping in. But since they started to report on the issue ethically, much progress has been made.
Example:http://www.brama.com/issues/nytart.html This is a good example of the media in the Ukraine being ethical because they keep the identity of the victims who do not want to be identified a secret. Some of the victims want their stories out there, but do not want their names and faces plastered everywhere for all to see. When writing an article, the first thing a journalist must ask is, “who does it help versus who does it hurt” and these journalists made the right decision.
