News stories tagged with "sawyer"

(02/21/08) The Plattsburgh Press-Republican reported Thursday morning that a Lake Placid woman is suing ABC News, the Walt Disney Corporation, and news anchor Diane Sawyer. In her suit, Kyle Nelson claims that the network should have alerted authorities to abuse that they captured on film in her Vermontville home five years ago. The physical abuse was recorded while ABC was working on a documentary for the program "Primetime." The show's producers never contacted the police or social welfare agencies. Brian Mann's story first aired in 2006. The Plattsburgh Press- Republican is reporting that Kyle Nelson, now age 20, has declined to discuss her lawsuit against ABC with the media.

(04/27/06) Franklin County District Attorney Derek Champagne says it's too late to file criminal charges against a Vermontville man videotaped while hitting and slapping his 15-year-old daughter. But Champagne says state and local officials are reviewing whether three children still living in the home of Joe and Lynn Nelson are receiving proper care. Last Friday, the ABC news magazine "Primetime" broadcast footage of the Nelson home that included scenes of physical and emotional violence. The footage aired as part of a documentary on stepfamilies struggling with children from separate marriages. The broadcast prompted a public outcry. As Brian Mann reports, it has also triggered a new debate over the ethics of journalism.

A warning: Some of the sounds in this story are violent and disturbing.

(04/27/06) For a deeper look at the ethics of journalism, NCPR contacted Kelly McBride, who writes about ethics at the Poynter Institute, one of the top journalism think tanks in America. McBride spoke with Brian Mann about the ethical gray zones that reporters sometimes navigate while pursuing complicated stories. McBride says journalists sometimes serve a greater good by acting as observers rather than active participants.