Past journalism errors and a look forward

In an age of electronic media and fading print journalism we have to consider the checks and balances system editors have played throughout history and how that system can transcend the medium in which a reporter uses so as to continue a high level of scrutiny on the reporting.

While new blogs appear all the time on the internet the question is raised – who is checking the facts and considering these stories before their published? As I learned about the Philips case I was curious to look at other events that were both similar and far worse.

The first case I considered was a that of Dan Rather and the scandal surrounding his and 60 Minutes use of what turned out to be forged documents. In Rather’s case the newsman and his staff had received documents that seemed to support claims that President Bush had violated regulations of the Texas Air National Guard and received special treatment due to who his father is.

While both Rather’s situation and that of Philips today are similar in that they deal with a report making claims based off a forged document the situations couldn’t be more different. However, regardless of the situation the process of journalism can’t be forgotten or abridged because of what you are reporting on.

Bob Steele of the Poynter Institute said in an interview at the time of the Rather fiasco “CBS and Dan Rather failed journalistically. They failed ethically. They did not do the appropriate reporting at the front end and they failed to apply rigorous oversight and checks and balances in the process and to the product.”

I also considered the case of Jayson Blair at the New York Times and his countless acts of plagiarism. During his tenure with the paper he wrote over 600 articles, all of which must be called into question given his actions.

While the differences between the Blair and Philips cases are more obvious (plagiarism vs. use of fake documents) the reaction should be the same. Beyond this though we need to look at how our journalism ethics are being transferred into the next generation.

If journalism is going to sustain this move into a new medium we have to hold reporters to the same standard and address their errors with the same vigor. It’s continually being questioned as to whether bloggers are journalists. Regardless of the answer, most bloggers are attempting to report something and this fact means they need to be held accountable for what it is they publish just as those before them have been.

In trying to determine what the appropriate action is to be taken against both Chuck Philips and the LA Times it is important to analyze these past errors and the resultant action. While Rather was able to leave CBS gracefully, it is hard to not view his role with the forged documents as the event that helped ease him out of his anchor position. Blair resigned from the New York Times, which I view as a travesty. He should not have been allowed the dignity of resignation - they should have fired him.

Philips is still on the pay roll of the LA Times but his future roll with the paper is being determined.