What I would have said…
One of the fun things about teaching a class in media ethics is that the media never disappoint. This week’s topic: truth and honesty. This week’s example: Dan Rather.
Because I’m not hip to my whole phone message thing at SMS (get Ph.D.; lose common sense), I missed the opportunity to be interviewed by the local CBS affiliate about what we teach j-students to keep them from imitating Dan. Here’s what I would have told them: It’s rather easy to accuse Dan et. al. of neglecting the fundamentals of reporting because it is so clearly the case. But Dan’s a big boy, knows the score, and so I think there’s probably something(s) else going on here–yet to be fully understood. At SMS we teach students that the ethical and professional practice of journalism requires a discipline of verification. You don’t write what you can’t prove.
Unfortunately, that’s not the lesson that students see in the news media. Regarding political coverage, they see numerous examples every day in all media in which reporters fail to verify the information they gather–information usually gathered in the form of quotes from sources. They report what’s said and leave it for the public to figure out on their own what’s true. But figuring it out is what journalism is supposed to be doing for the public.
Because journalists have abandoned this basic practice of the profession, citizens go looking elsewhere for the fact-checking and verification that’s so necessary to making informed political decisions. And some of them find it on the internet on weblogs.
Yep…I teach my students the fundamentals. I just hope they can find places to work that will insist they apply them.
UPDATE (9:30 p.m.): Ya gotta love those grammar jockeys. Language Log has been all over the Rather case. Today’s entry demonstrates that CBS has yet to learn its lesson.
Media ethics
Andrew Cline writes: It’s rather easy to accuse Dan [Rather] et. al. of neglecting the fundamentals of reporting because it is so clearly the case. But Dan’s a big boy, knows the score, and so I think there’s probably something(s)…
Aww..come on Dr. C, Don’t you know that it is all about ratings! How cares if the memos are false, they can worry about it later. Just get the ratings, the better the ratings the more money they make. Bottom line it is the money….
Oops..typo..Not “How cares” I ment “Who cares”