Recently, there are more and more Japanese media that translate news in local newspapers and so on into Japanese and publish it, so we are able to know the local news, which is amazing itself.
However, there was an occurrence with which I wondered if it’s alright to translate the original articles into Japanese and publish it with no deliberation.
It was a case of raping happened the other day, and a Japanese medium reported the real name of the victim.
It never happens in Japan.
It’d be still difficult that the victim is identified only with the name, and if it’s in a foreign language, it’d be even more difficult.
However, there’s a possibility that the name of the victim, who has no fault, remains with the article of the matter forever. That’s a secondary damage.
would there be a significance of reporting the true name of the victim for the medium?
That’d be because the source reported the real name and the medium just translated it all into Japanese and publish it. However, if so, does the medium have no responsibility for it?
A while ago, a Japanese curation medium, operated by a big IT company, got accused of publishing an article from a source which didn’t have a clear evidence of the article, and I think the case this time is similar.
Cambodia’s media used to report car accidents and so on without being blurred out, which would definitely need to be blurred out, if in Japan, but recently more media have started blurring out on such cases and the ethics of the media is changing here in Cambodia.
About reporting real names on media, it has always been discussed. For example, if a significant crime is committed by a minority, if the real name of him/ her should be reported. Some people say that the freedom of the press should be secured, but I wonder if the matter this time can be solved just with the “freedom of press”.
Cambodia has more persistent ideas of chastity than Japan, and I feel sinful in the contents of the report from the viewpoint of the future life of the victim woman.
I am discussing the rights or wrongs of using real names in reports and articles, but if a source just translates a source into another language without an evidence for the source, it could be a false report, and if it’s shared by more and more people, that could lead to a decline in a reliance of the media industry itself. Especially in Cambodia, the influence of Facebook is huge while the media literacy has not been developed well yet, so the media should have responsibility for their articles, I suppose.
Nonetheless, as well as curation media, the media which translate articles into another languages and publish it are appreciated indeed. Therefore, the media, including us, have to recognize our responsibility for any reports and articles while the readers need to develop their own media literacy as well.