Just Enough Alarm: GlobalPost and the Syrian Chemical Attack Story

ABSTRACT
CSJ-14-0057.0 This case goes behind the scenes at GlobaPost to follow how journalists operate in war zones and how editors evaluate the newsworthiness of what could be an explosive story. In April 2014, GlobalPost Senior Correspondent Tracey Shelton heard reports of a chemical weapons attack that might cross the "red line" set by US President Barack Obama eight months earlier. If so, that could mean US military involvement in the Syrian civil war.

Over the next couple of weeks, Shelton checks out the reports. The case follows as she walks to a suburb of Aleppo, persuades police to allow her onto the site of the attack, takes a bus several hours to the hospital where victims were treated, and tries to ascertain just what kind of weapon killed at least three people. When editors receive her copy, theycontact chemical weapons experts to try to match Shelton's evidence against expected symptoms of various chemicals. Hanging over the editorial decision are memories of media missteps before the 2003 Iraq war, when few questioned US government assertions that Iraq harbored weapons of mass destruction.

Use this case to acquaint students with the realities of war reporting. Shelton is operating in the months after the kiddnapping of her colleague, James Foley. The threat to journalists covering Syria has grown steadily, and students can consider who chooses to cover such a situation and why. Students should also examine the editorial process at GlobalPost . What constitutes a scoop, and should exclusivity guarantee publication? What  kind of context should media provide? What if that context undermines a story's impact?

Use this case in courses/classes about journalism ethics, editorial management, broadcast journalism or crisis management.