Background:
The editor of a newspaper, whose sales are not going well at the moment, has just received a very graphic photo of a horrendous accident involving a school-bus and which occurred on a nearby motorway due to heavy fog. In the photo, you can see the injured and dead strewn around the crash scene. The rest is easy to imagine. The problem is whether to publish it or not. The image could shock, all the more so if it is on the front page. Should not the victims be left in peace, and not appear on the cover of a newspaper. Then again, perhaps by publishing this photo, the editor seeks to educate would-be careless drivers, or would-be drink-drivers. Of course, why should these victims be used as free advertising? Also, it is news, and nobody can fault a journalist for airing a story and photo. Moreover, the photo will attract, perhaps, new customers; people have a morbid interest in the misfortunes of others, it is said.
Role players:
- The editor, quite young.
- The photographer who took the shot, single.
- The accountant, married with two children.
- A journalist-relative of one of the victims-in favour of publication, married (with or without children).
- A second journalist, single, who is against publication.
- More journalists from various sections of the paper.
Facts on newspaper:
- Employs fifty workers, most with children.
- Is on the verge of closure.
- Serious newspaper.
Variation:
Instead of a photo, it could be a nasty story about a local hero/personality.
