Trial by Fire
Boy "hero" story tests media
A badly burned teenager is portrayed as a hero in news coverage. The real story turns out to be different. Is it better to make truth a casualty or set the record straight – even if it causes the burn victim more pain?
By Bill Kendrick
It was a story of remarkable heroism and intense suffering, a tragedy that touched the hearts and pocketbooks of thousands. Joey Philion, 15, had suffered burns to 90 percent of his body running back into his home to save his younger brother in March 1988. He spent a year undergoing painful skin grafts and was separated from his family for much of that time.
The story of his heroism was reported in both Canada and the United States, and money poured in for a trust fund. His hometown, Orillia, Ontario, raised the money to build a new home for Joey and his family; local tradesmen donated their labor.
Then our newsroom, CBLT-TV in Toronto, discovered that one critical part of the story was wrong. Joey had not been burned while saving his brother Danny’s life; he was not a hero.
The true story came to light when Kelly Crowe, one of our reporters, was covering the construction of the new house. A neighbor mentioned that Joey had not run back into the house as we, and others, had been reporting.
What really happened, she said, was that Danny had come running to her house to tell her that Joey was trapped in the house. When they got back to Joey’s house, he was outside, his clothing on fire.
Crowe confirmed the story by talking to other neighbors and the fire marshal who had investigated the fire.
If this was true, how had the media, including our own newsroom, got the story wrong? We talked to the editor of the daily Orillia Packet & Times. He had never run the "Joey saved his brother" story. As he put it, "It wasn’t until you big-city reporters got onto the story months later that the hero story started."
He was right. We found the first reference to Joey the "hero" in The Toronto Star, perhaps two months after the fire. It was soon picked up by other media in Toronto, including our station, and no one questioned the truth of it.
Although she never quoted Joey’s mother in the article saying Joey had run back to save his brother, the Star reporter told us that’s where she got it. One of our reporters who had covered the story said the mother had never denied the "hero" angle.
Joey was still in the hospital and reporters were not allowed to talk to him.
The media had created a hero, and we had to decide what to do about him.
The sides in our newsroom were drawn.
There were those who thought it was better for truth to become a casualty than to inflict further pain on a boy. Why punish Joey for our mistake?
So what if Joey hadn’t saved his brother’s life? He had still undergone an incredible ordeal and didn’t deserve to be made to look as if he might have been part of a lie. What public good would be served if we set the record straight? Who would be hurt if we didn’t?
Those on the other side of the issue were equally adamant:The public had a right to know the truth because it was being asked to donate to Joey’s trust fund. The proceeds from an upcoming rock concert would go to the fund, and the musicians involved said they we’re doing it because they were so moved by Joey’s heroism.
If we did not report what we knew, we would be invoking our own form of censorship.
Then we learned that Joey was to be given an award for bravery. We could not report that award without also reporting what we knew.
At this point we talked to his mother. We had waited because we wanted to be sure of our facts and sure we wanted to broadcast the story. Joey’s mother confirmed our information, but claimed that she had not started the story. She said she had tried to set the record straight.
As far as she was concerned, her son was a hero just for surviving the fire and the months of surgery.
That night we broadcast the true story of Joey in conjunction with the report on his award for bravery. Interestingly, the bravery citation did not mention the life-saving, only the young boy’s heroism in overcoming the severity of his burns. The award was presented by an Orillia cadet troop, of which Joey was a member.
We received a few phone calls from viewers criticizing our story.
Why did we spend so much time debating whether to broadcast this story? It now seems relatively straightforward; we had no choice but to tell the truth. But that’s too simplistic a view.
The belief that the public’s right to know outweighs the consequences of our reporting is one that should always be open for debate. We made the right decision. The process we went through to reach that decision was a healthy one, and would be for any newsroom.
Bill Kendrick of CBLT-TV in Toronto is senior producer of "CBC at Six."
FineLine: The Newsletter On Journalism Ethics, vol. 1, no. 4 (August 1989), p. 5.
This case was produced for FineLine, a publication of Billy Goat Strut Publishing, 600 East Main Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202. Reprinted with the permission of Billy Goat Strut Publishing. This case may be reproduced for classroom and research purposes. Publication of this case in electronic or printed form requires written permission from the publisher and Indiana University. An exception is granted for use in readers designed for specific academic courses.
June 6th, 2008 at 10:35 am
I think that this story it amazing. Especially since the boy was only 15 years old. It’s amazing because he is that young and he had so much courage. He risked his own life to save his brother suffering from 90% of body being burned. I am really glad that he received an award but I think that he should have gotten something else also. I am glad that the media got into it because now that boy is a hero. Everyone will remember him and that is great.
June 29th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
According to both Danny (passed away in 2001) & Joey (who underwent his 100th skin graft in 2000), their mother was not home. Joey was awakened by the fire and woke up Danny, getting him safely past the fire he sent Danny next door for help as he thought his mother was still sleeping and was wanting to help her get her out too. Joey got trapped by the fire and jumped out an upstairs window. His pajamas caught fire on the way out. They have both told me this at separate times and swear to this as the truth. Their mother had driven their step father to work and had lit the fire in the fireplace before leaving.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
I still don’t really get how the media got that wrong. I mean, sure, Joey and Danny’s mom said that Joey was a hero but that was for just surviving. It feels like some person lied to the public to make the story more interesting. To me, that seems wrong. People shouldn’t lie to make things more interesting. The truth is already interesting enough. If it isn’t than it isn’t news. Although, I was happy to find out that even after the newspaper lied they still fixed thier mistake and told the truth.
February 14th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
It’s truly unfortunate that CBLT-TV got caught up in a false dilemma: “Why did we spend so much time debating whether to broadcast this story? It now seems relatively straightforward; we had no choice but to tell the truth. But that’s too simplistic a view.”
So having an ethical center is simplistic? It’s remarkable that half of the newsroom believed it necessary to debate whether or not you should set the record straight. You allowed an opportunity–to show viewers that you are committed above all to reporting the truth–to slip through your fingers. Now you have only succeeded in raising a question in the viewers mind if you can really be trusted. Especially in this case, I do not understand the hand-wringing. It only serves to reenforce the impression that at least half of the newsroom was trying to save yourselves from embarassment.
Here is another simplistic tenet: If everyone in the newsroom keeps the idea of faithfully serving your viewers first above all else–then you won’t waste so much time debating things that shouldn’t require it.
May 16th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
The story never got any better. A home was built, monies raised, family moved to BC, monies spent, property purchased, and some very revealing interviews done by Canadian news investigative reporting shows. The house went into foreclosure many years ago, the mother who knows, her boyfriend at the time, who knows. Joey, tough life took some criticism for being seen at the local Chippewas Casino when it was reported that he was on disability income. One of the persons who built the house ended up with some good will, went into politics, went out of politics, got a government sinecure for a short time. If you went back now to find all of the victims and the players, it would be a moral morass starting from inside the family to the government not using the public trustee to hold all of the monies raised to be used for Joey’s future medical care. I have no idea where he is today.
June 15th, 2009 at 1:00 am
He didn’t run back into the house but he made sure his brother was safe and then ran through his burning house to look for his mother, not knowing she had left. Burns to 90% of his body trying to make sure his family was safe, and he was only 15? That’s a hero. Not his fault somebody – and definitely excited members of the media themselves – tried to make his story more ‘interesting’.
June 18th, 2009 at 3:01 am
I’ve thought about the fate of “Joey” Philion for many, many years and I’m very saddened to read today’s headlines of his self-proclaimed impending demise.
Coming from “small-town, ON” myself and remembering the tradegy on that fateful day, what I remember very vividly was the disgusting behaviour of the so-called “good samaritians” who felt duped after the home they’d built for Joey was left in a state of disrepair and the family moved to BC…. all I can say to that is, “How DARE you take out your pathetic need of self-gratification on Joey or his family!! Stop for a moment and think why this family was in such a dire situation BEFORE the fire. Do you really think that constructing a new home for Joey and his family was going to solve the underlying reasons for the family not having insurance, etc. in the first place? How bloody naive!! I was absolutely sickened by the whining and bitching of those that cried to the media that their “generosity” had been abused by the Philion family. These would be the same “head-in-the-sand” people that donate money to food banks and homeless shelters without asking how these people came to depend on such entities in the first place… without trying to find a solution to the problem instead of feeling like they’ve just solved all the world’s problems with a bequest! “Oh poor me… I’ve just donated a monetary sum and I’ve been duped by a family that can’t pay it’s hydro bills.”
As far as the initial media report – being VERY familiar with the old CKVR, the local TV station that covered the story – I never had much confidence in their reporting skills, since they were the training ground for most of the province’s broadcast journalists. Yes, they created the “heroism story”, but nonetheless, a young boy suffered intense pain and agony that none of us could even begin to imagine. What bothers me is this: Are people so shallow that they would only reach out to a young burn victim if he was seen as a hero? What the hell is the difference?… it’s not like he SET the fire!
Consider this quandry? If a fireman dies of a heart attack at the scene of a fire, is he considered a hero? If you’re unsure of the answer, just check out any firefighting website around the world.
In closing I’d like to say this to those that berated, belittled and otherwise condemded Joe Philion (either directly or through his family)… I hope you never have to face one-tenth of the suffering that Joe has endured, because you obviously could not undergo the daily torture that this young man has endured since he was 14 years of age. May you know the meaning of true Christianity some day and my God have mercy on your souls.
July 6th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
this is too funny….I wonder why the others just ran with the story in the first place and never really did any work themselves, and they needed to set the record straight after the fact wow that was really big of them .