PressEthic

Lori Montgomery chased down a great story. She was doing what journalists do best-- exposing wrongs in an effort to make them right. On September 3, 2005 , the Washington Post ran Montgomery's story exposing Karl Rove's illegal tax deductions. Rove agreed to reimburse the District for a tax deduction which became illegal in 2001. It also called into question his current voting practices: Rove calls Texas his permenant residence.

Way to go, right? Turns out there are a few corrections to the tale. They didn't make it completely untrue, but the reporter didn't quite get her story straight. Rarely do corrections really get notice in the headlines, but this one made national news. Why? Elizabeth Reyes, an attorney and Montgomery's source in the Texas secretary of state's office, was fired from her position for speaking to the press.

When Reyes answered the Post's questions, she was not informed that the subject in question was Karl Rove. Was that unethical? Probably not. The journalist in question was only asking about election and residency law, which is the same for a presidential advisor as it is for anyone else.

I'd be reluctant to question the journalist's tactics at all, except for her other error. She neglected to include some of Reye's statements regarding "intent to return" and its impact on residency. This just made Reyes look inept.

Journalists under deadlines often follow the old standard of "just ask" when trying to get information for a story. Perhaps Montgomery didn't have the time, nor ability, to decipher Texas election law. Besides, isn't that what the secretary of state's office is for? Surely there was nothing wrong with that.

The real question, however, lies in what this story does for journalistic credibility. The Washington Post made a mistake. They shorted the public of information, and lost a degree of its trust (which it can hardly afford these days). It is not their fault, however, that Elizabeth Reyes lost her job. If she shouldn't have spoken to the press, that is something she should know. Chances are, however, that she was given a raw deal. The reporter did what it took to get the story, and Elizabeth Reyes should have been more careful, for sure.

I'll tell you what though-- a number of people will read that story, and think twice before ever speaking to a reporter.