PressEthic

Despite flagging confidence in the profession of journalism and in the integrity of the media, it is my experience, albeit not yet particularly jaded, that the best journalists have high ethical standards. Most strive to remain unbiased and objective in a profession in which credibility is reliant on such components.

Honesty is a primary journalistic intention. One is simply not a valid journalist if not in the pursuit of truth. Thus, Aly Colon of the Poynter Institute raises a seemingly odd question - can a journalist be too truthful ?

Colon discusses the ethical controversy surrounding Wall Street Journal reporter Farnaz Fassihi. Fassihi detailed “the truth as she saw it” of the war in Iraq in a personal email to her friends and family, based on her experiences reporting from Baghdad.

The email, which included well-documented facts as well as Fassihi’s personal opinions, became public, unbeknownst to the reporter. The issue caused many journalists to question Fassihi’s credibility and wonder if her reporting would remain to be viewed as fair on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, since her opinions were now public knowledge.

Journalists are arguably some of the most well informed people in the world. Success within the profession is in direct relation to the journalist’s knowledge and hunger to build upon it and on the ability to relay this information to the public. The concept that journalists are able to resist development of personal opinion or perspective on the bevy of issues they are inundated with everyday is completely irrational. Remain unbiased in reporting – yes. To never formulate personal bias, or express it in private life – impossible, and unnecessary.

In an article in the Los Angeles Times (available in archives) Tim Rutten discussed the need for journalists to remember that whatever they say personally can affect them professionally. Opinions that are expressed publicly can influence the way in which a journalist’s reporting is viewed.

Yet I agree with Colon in his statement:

Interestingly enough, some readers may have found Fassihi's e-mail account even more credible than some mainstream reporting because it bears the marks of personal sincerity as opposed to a more formal and impersonal documentation found in many news reports. Ultimately, the credibility we have as journalists may depend not on what we believe personally, but on how we act professionally.

And since we’re talking about truth – truthfully, I find it more unethical to make public a journalist’s personal email, than for a journalist to compose one.