Summaries
The news articles we have chosen depict the story of a hunter on Vancouver Island shooting a deer with
a small calibre rifle and then slitting its throat after it twitches and writhes in pain. The main issue in
both articles is that the animal is killed in an inhumane way, this is the reason that this story made it into
the news.
Global News has a version of the video available for the public to see but it has censored the image of
the hunters in question. It writes that an anonymous hunter submitted the offending video to them and
reports him describing the events in the video as “twisted” (Ferreras & McArthur, 2017). The article goes
on to discuss legal action that may occur through further investigation. Furthermore, it expresses the
feelings of a hunter who believes that the men in the video did “nothing wrong” (Ferreras & McArthur,
2017). The piece also states the views of Dylan Eyers, a man who teaches and practices ethical hunting.
It concludes by saying that the deer’s meat was used but reminds readers that “some find it difficult to
see how the ends justify the means” (Ferreras & McArthur, 2017).
CTV News reports from a less biased position; the article has several speakers with differing ethical
views that the article does not express as its own. Nevertheless, the majority of the speakers they have
chosen to quote have views revolving around animal welfare. This report states the name of the hunter
who shared the video with the media, Kelly Lance. There is more geographical information in this
account, informing readers that the incident took place in a residential area on Quinsam Reserve,
Vancouver Island near Campbell River. It discusses how RCMP will be leading the investigation despite
the events taking place on First Nations’ land. The video featured on this site is also censored, but this
time they have blurred the image of the deer’s slit throat rather than the perpetrators, who are clear for
all to see.
Comparison
The CTV article takes a more objective standpoint than Global News however it highlights an approach
that focuses mainly on animal welfare, with quotes from many hunters who feel that the deer in the
video has been treated cruelly and is suffering needlessly. The opinion of the opposing side is also voiced
and implements human exceptionalism, alleging that the culprits from the clip have “done nothing
wrong” and can be heard to be laughing at their actions (Ferreras & McArthur, 2017).
The Global News article takes a similar stance, with most views expressing animal welfare as well as
views that would be considered human exceptionalism. The Global News article also represents
utilitarian outlooks on hunting animals, using quotes from a selected source who utilizes animals for
their resources.
Ethical Frameworks
There were multiple ethical frameworks that were evident in both the CTV News article and Global
News.
Human Exceptionalism is defined as the belief that “only humans have moral status” (Blaise, 2018).
Someone who has these anthropocentric beliefs may not think about animals in terms of suffering since
they are not considered sentient. CTV reports that the deer in the video can be seen with its “throat cut
while flailing its legs” (Kurbis, 2017). It is evident to anyone that the deer is in pain and dying slowly.
Those who agree with human exceptionalism will be aware of this but will not feel concerned as they
believe animals cannot feel to the same extent that humans can. The hunters in the video can be heard
The news articles we have chosen depict the story of a hunter on Vancouver Island shooting a deer with
a small calibre rifle and then slitting its throat after it twitches and writhes in pain. The main issue in
both articles is that the animal is killed in an inhumane way, this is the reason that this story made it into
the news.
Global News has a version of the video available for the public to see but it has censored the image of
the hunters in question. It writes that an anonymous hunter submitted the offending video to them and
reports him describing the events in the video as “twisted” (Ferreras & McArthur, 2017). The article goes
on to discuss legal action that may occur through further investigation. Furthermore, it expresses the
feelings of a hunter who believes that the men in the video did “nothing wrong” (Ferreras & McArthur,
2017). The piece also states the views of Dylan Eyers, a man who teaches and practices ethical hunting.
It concludes by saying that the deer’s meat was used but reminds readers that “some find it difficult to
see how the ends justify the means” (Ferreras & McArthur, 2017).
CTV News reports from a less biased position; the article has several speakers with differing ethical
views that the article does not express as its own. Nevertheless, the majority of the speakers they have
chosen to quote have views revolving around animal welfare. This report states the name of the hunter
who shared the video with the media, Kelly Lance. There is more geographical information in this
account, informing readers that the incident took place in a residential area on Quinsam Reserve,
Vancouver Island near Campbell River. It discusses how RCMP will be leading the investigation despite
the events taking place on First Nations’ land. The video featured on this site is also censored, but this
time they have blurred the image of the deer’s slit throat rather than the perpetrators, who are clear for
all to see.
Comparison
The CTV article takes a more objective standpoint than Global News however it highlights an approach
that focuses mainly on animal welfare, with quotes from many hunters who feel that the deer in the
video has been treated cruelly and is suffering needlessly. The opinion of the opposing side is also voiced
and implements human exceptionalism, alleging that the culprits from the clip have “done nothing
wrong” and can be heard to be laughing at their actions (Ferreras & McArthur, 2017).
The Global News article takes a similar stance, with most views expressing animal welfare as well as
views that would be considered human exceptionalism. The Global News article also represents
utilitarian outlooks on hunting animals, using quotes from a selected source who utilizes animals for
their resources.
Ethical Frameworks
There were multiple ethical frameworks that were evident in both the CTV News article and Global
News.
Human Exceptionalism is defined as the belief that “only humans have moral status” (Blaise, 2018).
Someone who has these anthropocentric beliefs may not think about animals in terms of suffering since
they are not considered sentient. CTV reports that the deer in the video can be seen with its “throat cut
while flailing its legs” (Kurbis, 2017). It is evident to anyone that the deer is in pain and dying slowly.
Those who agree with human exceptionalism will be aware of this but will not feel concerned as they
believe animals cannot feel to the same extent that humans can. The hunters in the video can be heard
