Jim Lehrer on journalism ethics and change
We say it all the time to reassure the journalists in the newsrooms who are freaking out at the change in the infoscape: We aren’t throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Jim Lehrer discussed the new changes they were making as they roll out the PBS NewsHour, and outlined his credo for journalism ethics and editorial standards, reaffirming the mission and principles we all share, no matter what changes in technology or platform. They are:
- Do nothing I cannot defend.
- Cover, write, and present every story with the care I would want if the story were about me.
- Assume there is at least one other side or version to every story.
- Assume the viewer is as smart and as caring and as good a person as I am.
- Assume the same about all people on whom I report.
- Assume personal lives are a private matter until a legitimate turn in the story absolutely mandates otherwise.
- Carefully separate opinion and analysis from straight news stories, and clearly label everything.
- Do not use anonymous sources or blind quotes except on rare and monumental occasions.
- No one should ever be allowed to attack another anonymously.
- And finally, I am not in the entertainment business.
I respect Jim and his crew tremendously, and I have for years. I share his fervor on anonymous sources and blind quotes. As we move forward in restoring credibility and building it in online journalism with crowdsourcing, community and comments, we must keep this in mind.
And yes, Fox News, CBS, CNN, Wall Street Journal, and everyone else who has run wild with this shallow, misleading and misinforming “climategate” pig in a poke story without sourcing the hackers who stole the information and putting any of the issue in context… I am talking to all of you.
And bravo to Google and the New York Times for standing strong and sticking to the truth, no matter how hard it is to swallow, while innovating the platform and presentation to provide concise clarity on painfully obscured and complicated issues.
Another Chapter Begins for NewsHour | PBS NewsHour | Dec. 4, 2009 | PBS.
