In the SRF broadcast “Mona in the middle” explores reporter Mona Vetsch for 24 hours for a foreign Job. On Thursday evening, the second season of the documentary series started with a layer of the professional fire brigade of Basel. The shipment made prior to the broadcast for excitement, because of the “look” of a pre-only media Video that is accessible illegally published images. It is a scene in the firemen and paramedics try to resuscitate a man.

a view.ch a heated to its readers in addition to, and asked: “Is the public Service, or just irreverent?” The TV station reacted promptly and called for the deletion of the images. The “view” to the, claiming that the scene was pixelated more. SRF writes, however, that you have decided to show fewer Details.

The controversial scene was aired on Thursday evening on SRF 1. After a crash course and an aptitude test, it goes for Mona Vetsch first to a seemingly injured stork.

Mona Vetsch at the professional fire brigade. Image: SRF

For the second use of the fire brigade is called out during the together cooked lunch: you need to get rid of an apparently lifeless Person out of the toilet cabin in a Migros Restaurant.

The reporter experienced first-hand how a man of firefighters and paramedics around twelve minutes, will be reanimated. The camera doesn’t show but only the visibly agitated Mona Vetsch, but also the use of the paramedic, where the lifeless man pixelated heavily, and barely recognizable. The efforts of the rescue forces are ultimately in vain. How the man died, not white firefighters and learns also of the spectators.

media ethicists: scene to finish earlier

“SRF shows how a man dies. Is the public Service, or just irreverent?”, the “glance asked,” to this scene. The readers are not in agreement, a third says that one should not show in the public television, while a third sees no Problem, and the last third chose the response: “It depends very much on the implementation and the circumstances.”

This is also for media ethicists Vinzenz Wyss of the case. He is a senior journalism Professor at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences and says that, technically clean worked was because the Person was pixelated, and therefore not identifiable. “I think it is appropriate to show such scenes, to convey the difficult work of the firefighters,” says Wyss to the thematic incident.

The Show had to be terminated after, in his view, however, earlier. “The Moment of the death of a person always affects the intimate sphere, and journalists should, in principle, not to show people dying,” explains the Professor. “It seems the journalists code of conduct.” For him, the SRF would have had to have these scenes not until the last Moment to convey, with what a mentally stressful situations, the fire brigade is confronted with. “It is not enough to say then, that the resuscitation was unsuccessful, and by the conversation with the fire Department to absorb.”

firefighters and paramedics are trying to resuscitate the man. Screenshot: SRF

The editors would also have to consider the case of a high public interest in the topic of how the Show acts to the members. “A responsibility, ethical decision-making must include the interests of the members involved.” That SRF is not requested, finds Wyss irritating.

“A warning could prevent”

The SRF-media job justified himself before the broadcast of the program compared to online media, that fire and television for reasons of personal safety had received no information about the identity of the deceased, therefore, it was not possible for the members to request.

the sister of The deceased confirmed to the “look” has tracked them down, to never have anything of SRF belongs to. On the cutout you made in “Mona in the middle,” she says to view.ch: “I am shocked that no one was pushing to turn this scene. Why are you not broke the rotation?”

Dominique Strebel, Director of studies, and media ethics lecturer at MAZ, says, on the case: “For the protection of members of belongs to cause you any Details about the circumstances of the death of the concerned man’s eyes.” Also, viewers may not be surprised by the scenes you couldn’t see it at all. “You could prevent, for example, with a warning. In any case, the sensitivity of the viewer should be protected,” says Strebel to 20min.ch. Finally, the so-called blunting mechanism speak against the radiance of the scene.

can, however, speak loudly Strebel any public interests. Here is about the violent lives of firefighters, people would be presented with the scene, and the death taboo. A short Einblender of the pixelated man would have been enough but.

SRF sees no error

Had not thought about SRF, to show the scene, because you have to ask the members is it not? Why has SRF shown the scene in this Form? It was discussed whether you could show the scene without the images of the pixelated Person? Why was no display of warning? To these questions the SRF is not individually, but responded with a Statement by Daniel Pünter, head of documentary and Reportage:

“The editorial guidelines were not breached. We are our guidelines to be very aware of, and that is why we have made the Person completely unrecognizable. The audience sees in the SRF program not people die. The editorial staff has during the shooting and in the post with the greatest of care taken to preserve the Dignity of the deceased and to protect his identity.”

work-up in the shipment

In the show, “Mona in the middle” will be discussed the theme after the incident continues to be a leader. With a firefighter Vetsch exchanges about what they have Experienced:

Back in the operations center, the reporter asks, as the other firefighters deal with such incidents. “That was a heavy start for you,” says Lieutenant Thomas Nyffeler. “This is our life, it is tragic, but one must also keep a certain distance and a wall to build a protected frame. Otherwise you’ll break.”

You’ll forget it neither brash nor cynical, the individual cases you never. He did not remember yet at any of the dead in the last 25 years, but you should not let to close to get close, not always to take home.

Three firefighters accompanied Mona Vetsch by their layer. They discussed with her the death. Image: SRF

on a section of Mona Vetsch your serene lunch at the warm-up, the everyday life in the fire service goes on.

“This is hypocritical”

a view.ch has given the scene the day after the broadcast, a new twist: The tabloid media published the names and pictures of the deceased. After they had revolted in the run-up about the disrespectful behavior of SRF, and let you fall in the “view,” then all ethical concerns, and continued over the privacy of the dead away.

“This has made me speechless,” says journalism Professor Wyss of the behaviour of the “gaze”. “For me, that is hypocritical.” (anf)

Created: 15.11.2019, 17:05 p.m.