| Chapter 6
Journalism
Ethics
By
David Krajicek
Balancing Justice
"Justice" refers to both victims of crime and accused
criminals. Make no assumptions of guilt or innocence until conviction
or acquittal. Balance the rights of victims and suspects with the
right of news consumers to be well informed.
Law enforcers are unlikely to give the suspect's point of view,
but the story should have his side. Reach out to the suspect, his
family or his lawyer. Your story should indicate why police have
leveled the accusation, including a listing of evidence and circumstances
of the arrest.
'Don't Print That'
The rules of "for attribution," "off the record,"
"on background" and "on deep background" can
be a morass for both reporter and source. Get any conditions straight
before the interview – in consultation with your news supervisor
– and avoid those gut-wrenching words: "Don't print that."
Your news organization may have guidelines. They likely will suggest
that public officials should know better but that you must use discretion
when interviewing sources who rarely deal with the media.
Criminal justice sources frequently ask journalists to hold stories
during an active investigation of, say, a serial murderer or rapist.
Often the sources protest that a story might cause the criminal
to change his pattern. Journalists counter that a story that causes
a serial criminal to stop should be viewed as positive, and cops
respond that the criminal will merely move or alter his patterns.
The source may offer an incentive, such as an exclusive after an
arrest.
The debate on this issue between journalists and law enforcers
might be unresolvable. But never make an agreement with a source
to hold a story before consulting your supervisor.
Plagiarism, Phantom Sources
A generation ago, stories that were based on secondary research
were disparaged as "clip jobs.' Today, these pieces would be
better known as cut-and-paste jobs.
The Internet has made it too easy to lift copy directly from a
secondary source and tuck it into your own story file. Many journalists
have paid a price for this, whether it was malicious or merely careless.
A simple rule outlined in The New York Times guidelines
above might save careers: Give credit to the primary source.
Likewise, anecdotal evidence indicates a spike in the malicious
fabrication of sources, including an Associated Press reporter on
a criminal justice beat in Washington who apparently made up a string
of sources and policy institutes over several years. He was fired
in 2002, and the AP transmitted a correction that sources in some
40 of the reporter's stories could not be confirmed.
These episodes reflect poorly on all journalists, and editors must
be vigilant against fabrications. An agile reporter who consistently
manages to find the perfect source who delivers the perfect quote
– and all on deadline – may be a great reporter. He
may also be a fabricator. If something seems fishy, it might be.
Miscellany
The Society of Professional Journalists offers a number of common-sense
suggestions on ethics. These are adapted from those suggestions:
- Broadcasters should not stage re-enactions unless there
is a very good reason and should always explain to viewers how and
why it is being done.
- Headlines, teases and promotional material must pass the
same ethical tests as other news content.
- Don't manipulate photos or video unless you have a good
reason (for example, graphic effect or to cover up obscenity) and
always explain to news consumers what you have done and why.
- Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering
information except when traditional methods will not yield information
vital to the public. Explain your methods to news consumers. Note
that some state laws bar secret video- or audiotaping. In others,
prior approval for taping is not needed. You should understand the
law in your state. For a state-by-state list of regulations concerning
recording, see the website of the Reporters Committee for Freedom
of the Press, http://www.rcfp.org.
Conflicts of Interest
Journalism can be a minefield of conflicts, from jingoism to political
ideology, personal relationships to "civic betterment"
campaigns.
Tread lightly. Perceptions of conflict bear upon a news organization's
integrity and public trust, valuable assets in a professional that
sells information, not a material product. Here are brief looks
at several varieties of conflict.
Favors and Gifts
Twenty-five years ago, a large local insurance firm sent personally
engraved pens as holiday gifts to staffers at my Midwestern newspaper.
I was testing out my new pen when a colleague, Jim Flanery, told
me he was sending his back.
"Why?" I asked. "It has your name on it."
Flanery said, "Reporters shouldn't accept gifts."
I protested, "But I can't be bought for the price of a pen."
He said, "Someone at that company will always know that you
kept the pen. And they'll know that I didn't."
I sent my pen back.
A few years later, while working as a reporter in New York, a congressman
arrived in our eight-person bureau just before the holidays. His
aides carried in two cases of liquor, and the congressman glad-handed
each of us and asked what type of booze we preferred.
I declined, thinking of Flanery.
Hearing this, one of my colleagues spoke up.
"Hey, if Krajicek doesn't want his, I'll take it." And
he did.
From this I learned that one reporter's ethics is another's graft.
Here is one simple rule on favors and gifts: Accept nothing of
value.
Many news organizations now reimburse any expenses for food, drinks,
travel and accommodations from sports teams and film distributors,
although most still accept gratis books and recordings.
What about a lunch, a drink or a slice of pizza? Some journalists
prefer to pay their own way, period. Others say reciprocal lunches
– you pay this time, I pay next time – is a time-honored
tradition in journalism.
Use common sense.
For a sampling of gift and meal provisions from newspaper ethics
codes, click here.
The Society of Professional Journalists cautions that financial
conflicts can extend beyond your primary job. The group's ethics
code says, "Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special
treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement,
public office and service in community organizations if they compromise
journalistic integrity."
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