the truth business
I thought about not writing anything about this item from the Poynter Web site. Then I read story from the Los Angeles Times, and I despaired so much, I just had to write.

For those of you who don't want to read all this much, the first link is about a newspaper that faked a story to help their local police department nab the alleged murder plot of a convicted murderer. The second is about CNN getting approval for their war analysts from the Pentagon. CNN news dude (I dunno what his title is) Eason Jordan said on the network's media analysis show, "Reliable Sources," that it was "important" to get the Pentagon's approval of the war analysts. As L.A. Times writer Howard Rosenberg points out, Jordan never says why.

Now, because part of the question is about full disclosure, I should say that I used to work for the paper referenced in the first link, and I know that they are good journalists. But, I don't know about their ethical call. I just feel there are other ways to have accomplished the same goals, and it makes me sad that these officers don't understand the mission of a newspaper. I can only presume that the general public feels the same way.

I'm going to try not to tear TV a new one, but doesn't it seem odd that an "independent" news channel would feel it was important to get the government's permission to do something? I wonder what would have happened if the Pentagon had said "no."

A news organization's responsibility is not to the community (that's the job of activists), it's not to residents (that's the job of elected officials), but it's to the truth. In the space between the ads, that's all we produce. We can't forget that credibility is our only asset. That's where the news draws its power.

The problem with incidents like these is that we need the readers to believe us, and these ethical breaches chip away at how much they are willing to put their faith in what we say and write. I think that's why I felt so compelled to write this entry, so perhaps I can persuade the two or so of you who read my blog that there are some of us who still care about the truth and try (but not always successfully, I'll admit) not to flinch when we face it.

People hate me. They cringe when I call. They freeze when I approach them. They act strangely when I'm in the room. This is not the job to take to be popular. That readers put faith in our words and feel that they draw some understanding of their world is one of the few rewards of being a reporter. If I can't have that, there are less stressful jobs in the world.