# Was this an ethical thing for a newspaper to do **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 19, 2003, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-ethical-thing-for-a-newspaper-to-do/169678 "2003-04-19T19:37:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-ethical-thing-for-a-newspaper-to-do/169678/21 "2003-04-20T21:32:13Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s a sad day for journalism and for ethics. Yeah, go tell that to the four people (at the very least) whose lives this “deception” saved. “I’m sorry, but your lives, and the continued happiness of those who love you, were not worth violating the canons of journalism.” I can’t put this on the same level of heinosity as someone inventing a story to boost sales or win a Pulitzer. Only toddlers and Right-Wingers believe all lies under all circumstances bear equal weight. And I don’t think the “print one edition plan” would have been feasible. All it would have taken would have been one confederate on the outside (or even an innocent comment from a fellow inmate) that all other editions didn’t carry the story, for the game to be lost. So, to me, the newspaper was justified. Whether the prosectors, in conceiving this plot, acted improperly, that’s another story. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-ethical-thing-for-a-newspaper-to-do/169678/22 "2003-04-20T23:24:12Z")
> [@](#): > > A newspaper is supposed to report the facts. > > A newspaper is supposed to report the truth. > > A newspaper is supposed to provide news analysis/commentary. Sure. And a citizen is supposed to promote public safety and facillitate the prosecution of criminals. Again, if you believe that what the newspaper did was absolutely wrong, _then you have to explain why the interest of journalistic integrity trumps the interests of justice and public safety_. I’m not saying you can’t choose the former over the latter in this case, but the situation certainly calls for some equivocation. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-ethical-thing-for-a-newspaper-to-do/169678/23 "2003-04-20T23:29:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CaptMurdock \* > \*\*Yeah, go tell that to the four people (at the very least) whose lives this “deception” saved. “I’m sorry, but your lives, and the continued happiness of those who love you, were not worth violating the canons of journalism.” \*\* But other Dopers in this thread have already put forward one good alternative, that may have been more financially costly but certainly less destructive to their journalistic integrity. What’s wrong with the idea that maybe they should have rethought this strategy? ---
**Author:** ![Splanky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Splanky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Splanky)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-ethical-thing-for-a-newspaper-to-do/169678/24 "2003-04-20T23:52:42Z")
I think that printing only one copy is far too risky. I’d think prisoners would have access to this newspaper, and he could find out what was going on from a fellow prisoner or guard. It’s certainly a possibility, one I wouldn’t want to risk when lives are at stake. Simply put, if my children’s lives were at stake here I wouldn’t want any added risk, period. I’m sure you’d feel the same. Has it really hurt anyone? I doubt it. I assume a message from the editor column was posted soon after explaining the situation. I don’t think posting fake articles is a great thing to do, but this was necessary to ensure these five children remained safe. ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-ethical-thing-for-a-newspaper-to-do/169678/25 "2003-04-21T00:27:24Z")
From the point of view of the press manager, printing 1000 copies costs about the same as printing one of them. Furthermore, convicted criminals are not particularly entitled to timely news reports. It hurt all of the people who purchased the paper on the assumption that it contained factual reporting. It also hurt advertisers, since there will inevitably be a drop in circulation. ---
**Author:** ![JonScribe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3be4f8/32.png) [@JonScribe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonScribe)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-ethical-thing-for-a-newspaper-to-do/169678/26 "2003-04-21T00:36:40Z")
Nobody’s life was at stake. The police already were aware of the attempt to solicit murder; this was only an attempt to strengthen a prosecutor’s case with additional evidence. Telling a lie to a suspect is one thing; for a paper to fabricate a story, no matter how small, is unforgiveable. Were I a subscriber to the King County Journal, I’d cancel my subscription and tell them I could no longer trust them to tell me the truth. As a copy editor for another paper who is in a position to use Journal stories that run on the news wire, I can say for certain that I won’t run anything on our pages that first appeared in the Journal. We in the media have a hard enough time keeping our credibility. This short-sighted attempt to curry favor with a police department is a disservice to the paper’s readers, to other newspapers and media outlets and to news consumers in general. ---
**Author:** ![Splanky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Splanky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Splanky)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-ethical-thing-for-a-newspaper-to-do/169678/27 "2003-04-21T01:37:42Z")
How often to papers unintentionally report things which aren’t true? I can’t tell you how many erronious articles on the war I’ve read. The paper gets some info from a third hand source and don’t bother to verify. Only thing is, the paper never apologizes for these errors, and many go on believing it. I find that much, much worse than this situation. ---
**Author:** ![Payton\_s\_Servant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@Payton\_s\_Servant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Payton_s_Servant)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-ethical-thing-for-a-newspaper-to-do/169678/28 "2003-04-21T02:54:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Splanky \* > \*\*How often to papers unintentionally report things which aren’t true? I can’t tell you how many erronious articles on the war I’ve read. The paper gets some info from a third hand source and don’t bother to verify. Only thing is, the paper never apologizes for these errors, and many go on believing it. > > I find that much, much worse than this situation. \*\* Cite please? Especially the bit about “_third hand sources_”. ---
**Author:** ![JonScribe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3be4f8/32.png) [@JonScribe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonScribe)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-ethical-thing-for-a-newspaper-to-do/169678/29 "2003-04-21T03:01:00Z")
Unintentional errors do happen, which is why you should use some skepticism with anything you see on TV, hear on the radio or read in newspapers and magazines. Newspapers do, when they are aware of errors, run corrections. No, they aren’t run as prominently as the original story, but that’s another thread. Gotta disagree with you, **Splanky** : An intentional lie is much more disturbing than an honest mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-ethical-thing-for-a-newspaper-to-do/169678/30 "2003-04-21T03:25:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Payton’s Servant \* > \*\*I’m truly shocked at the Dopers who find nothing wrong with the newspapers actions. > > A newspaper is supposed to report the facts. > > A newspaper is supposed to report the truth. > > A newspaper is supposed to provide news analysis/commentary. > > A newspaper is not supposed to knowingly disseminate patently false and untrue information, which the King County Journal most assuradly did. > > Michael Parks said it best, " **It was a lie… The newspaper deliberately told a falsehood, not just to the guy in the prison cell, but to all its readers. There’s no room in a news report for a false, made-up story.** Parks said that to knowingly publish a false story “ **violates the canons of journalism.** ” > > There have been cases where the government has requested that a newspaper surpress or not print a story, the Pentagon Papers, perhaps being the most famous case, but I can’t recall of government officials asking a newspaper to print a lie. > > It’s a sad day for journalism and for ethics. \*\* I agree wholeheartedly. An example: suppose it’s discovered (and proven) that the Bush administration told all the major news organizations to publish/air lies and exaggerations about Iraq prior to and during the war for reasons which “would save thousands of American and Iraqi lives.” Would printing and airing of those lies and half-truths be justified? Heck no. Journalists aren’t paid to be police, or military strategists, or government apologists, etc. Once government agencies start asking the media to print/air certain things, just so the agencies can do their jobs better, we’ve begun our slide down a slippery slope. Happy, speaking as a journalist ---
**Author:** ![Aankh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@Aankh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aankh)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-ethical-thing-for-a-newspaper-to-do/169678/31 "2003-04-21T10:58:26Z")
in my opinion, this is a slippery slope. when you bring in a question of greater good, at what point should the media say no? i agree that a newspaper is ethically bound to report facts and offer analyses. anything else and it ceases to serve its purpose. however, confronted by a situation where media deception would lead to a thousand lives saved, i admit i would much feel much better about those people being safe than about being told the truth. again, the question comes up: what if only one life was to be saved? would it still be worth it? on the whole, regardless of my _feelings_, i believe the media should remain a discrete (and discreet) entity. their purpose was and is information dissemination, and so it should remain. related: when the government begins to interefere too much with the media, one begins to lose one’s trust in it. refer to singapore’s censorship of the media by the government (People’s Action Party). below is an excellent article that gives a good picture of what happens when the media is controlled. > **[RSF](https://rsf.org)** > > Reporters sans frontières assure la promotion et la défense de la liberté d'informer et d'être informé partout dans le monde. L'organisation, basée à Paris, compte des bureaux à l'international (Berlin, Bruxelles, Genève, Madrid, Stockholm, Tripoli,... ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-ethical-thing-for-a-newspaper-to-do/169678/32 "2003-04-21T11:36:50Z")
There was no control of the media in this case. The newspaper concerned was asked to do something. The folks in charge could’ve said no. ---
**Author:** ![Aankh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@Aankh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aankh)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-ethical-thing-for-a-newspaper-to-do/169678/33 "2003-04-21T11:50:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by aasna \* > \*\*related: when the government begins to interefere too much with the media, one begins to lose one’s trust in it. refer to singapore’s censorship of the media by the government (People’s Action Party). below is an excellent article that gives a good picture of what happens when the media is controlled. > [http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id\_article=1442](http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=1442) \*\* yes, **monty** , i realise that. which is why my point about the controlling of media was listed as “related”. (see above quote from my post.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-ethical-thing-for-a-newspaper-to-do/169678.md?page=1)