Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Naming your Sources?
Should journalists name their unnamed sources if they are told to? Or should they keep the information confidential to protect the person's identity? Journalists often face the dilemma to decide between these options. Judith Miller, a former reporter for the New York Times, decided to protect reporters' rights to keep unnamed sources' identities to themselves. She spent 85 days in jail. A public discussion erupted about ethics in journalism. Should Miller have given in? Every reporter must answer these questions to the best of his or her ethical knowledge. Every situation is different. First of all, confidential sources should only be used if they fear for their lives or jobs after the story would be published. Reporters should always talk to their editors about using unnamed sources. They should also call ethics hotlines and take the SPJ Code of Ethics as their standard. Is it really necessary to use a confidential source? The public usually wants a name in the story - give them a good reason if you do not use it. If you make the promise to keep the information, keep it. But maybe it would be good to sit down with your sources and discuss how far you are willing to go for them.
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4 comments:
I believe that is important to keep a good relationship with sources. If a source request that a reporter keep their identity confidential, then the reporter should follow their wishes. Also, if a source wants to remain anonymous maybe the reporter should consider looking for other people to interview.
Requiring a journalist to release the identity of a source can impede on a journalist’s ability to fulfill their central purpose of reporting the news, and it contributes to preventing journalists from supplying information to the public. If a journalist acquires the reputation of one who releases the identity of an anonymous source, no one will want to talk to that person and it destroys the trust the public may have in that journalist, the paper they work for, and the news industry as a whole.
I agree that journalists should maintain a good relationship with their sources, but must be careful that it is kept professional. It could damage a journalists reputation if their co-workers or editors find out that they are becoming close to a source. It may even get them fired.
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