I guess I can't talk much.
Daniel Ellsberg, the man who leaked the Pentagon Papers all those years ago, was quoted in The Most Dangerous Man in America to say, "[People] need to ask more, demand more of their public servants." He was talking about government officials. But journalists serve the public too, and the quote could easily be applied to all of us. We need to do better, to be better, if we're going to survive.
On Thursday, we specifically talked about independence in journalism as a class. The SPJ Code of Ethics gives a few pointers: "Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived." "Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment..." "...hold those with power accountable." "Deny favored treatment..."
Previously in class, we debated whether a journalist could have an opinion about an issue and still be a good journalist, sparked by the New York Times story about the CNN editor who lost her job because of a comment she made on Twitter. Something the presenters said Thursday reassured me a little on that subject: newspaper columnists can have an opinion! In fact, it's what they're valued for- accurately reporting the news and then commenting on it. Although I don't know if I'll ever wind up writing a column some day, I feel better just knowing that between the neutral news stories are columns, political cartoons, and editorials. The difference between a general reporter and an opinion writer is their balance between neutrality (suppress opinion) and independence (room for opinion but BASED ON FACTS); general reporters are more neutral and opinion writers are more independent. However, just because you can have an opinion doesn't mean you shouldn't be independent. I believe the more involved a journalist is, the more difficult he/she will find staying neutral and giving each side ample thought.
I think the CNN reporter being fired because of her comments on Twitter was insane!!! It's not like she injected her opinion in an article she wrote, or a story she did that went to air. And I would think that the people at CNN and the people that read her remarks would know that what she said didn't necessarily reflect the opinions of CNN or it's advertisers. Maybe she should have included a caption saying that. I like to know that the people I trust to report the news actually have opinions, just express them in the right way, at the right time. And I think she did that. I completely agree with you on the point you make about it being difficult to stay neutral. I think one of the hard things for a reporter is finding a balance between maintaining your opinion and still be objective. It sucks that she had to pay the price for it.
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