Commitment to Truth – The Ethics of Coming Clean

 




According to the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics, journalists should “Take responsibility for the accuracy of their work. Verify information before releasing it. Use original sources whenever possible.  Journalists must also “remember that neither speed nor format excuses inaccuracy.” 

On Jan. 6, 2012 “This American Life” (TAL) released a story titled Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory, Mike Daisey’s allegedly first-hand account of working conditions at the factories of Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision Co., Ltd, trading as Foxconn Technology Group. Foxconn manufactures iPads under license with Apple. “This American Life” is a broadcast of WBEZ Chicago. Daisey’s story became TAL’s most downloaded recording.

Prior to releasing Daisey’s audio report, “This American Life” fact-checked it, verifying that Daisey’s statements about Foxconn’s relationship with Apple were correct. They did not validate Daisey’s story with his onsite translator, Cathy Lee.

Shanghai-based Rob Schmitz, a reporter for Marketplace, challenged Daisey’s account after tracking down and interviewing Lee and hearing her conflicting description of events. After Lee provided copies of emails substantiating her version, TLA host Ira Glass followed up with Daisey, who, after lying initially, confirmed that many of his “observations” were fabrications based on rumors.

In the retraction, Glass speaks with Debby Chan Sze Wan, project manager for Hong Kong-based Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM), Ian Spaulding, founder and managing director of INFACT Global Partners, Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times. The conversations included in TLA’s retraction provide interesting insights for veteran and aspiring journalists.  

The point is, even the most respected news sources sometimes get it wrong. What differentiates them from such thoroughly repudiated sites as Infowars.com is that they admit their mistakes and retract them in a manner similar to TLA’s. TLA got it right.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Scant Coverage of Women’s Sports Creates Unequal Opportunity

Image
  Since Title IX’s inclusion in the federal Education Amendments of 1972 , participation in sports among school-age girls has increased from one in 27 to one in three. This has led to increased enrollment by women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and greater career opportunities . Media coverage, however, has not kept up. As any fan knows, ESPN is the powerhouse of sports coverage, yet a study by Purdue’s Cheryl Cooky found that Sports Center coverage of women’s athletics increased to a mere 5.4% of airtime in 2019 from 5% in 1989. Lack of coverage, in turn, has accompanied  lower pay for female athletes , compared to their male counterparts. This has happened despite a growing number of female role models in sports, which according to a BBC study helps in the development of women’s attitudes toward personal health. Fortunately, we have such brave souls as Megan Rapinoe and her teammates, who in a landmark decision, won an equal pay settlement in t...
Read more

Napster Killed the Video Star

Image
  As an author, I can personally attest to the importance of intellectual property protection. Writers, artists, musicians, tech companies, fashion designers, news media, anyone who creates for mass consumption, we all depend on it,. From foreign counterfeiting to illegal downloading and copying of music , creative works are under attack now more than ever. Artists must protect themselves, and individuals must be wary of breaking the law. Technology is only making matters worse. While Napster lost its argument that it was merely a music sharing service , the damage it did endures. YouTube and other social media have long claimed immunity to intellectual property litigation but may soon find themselves accountable for allowing posting of infringed materials . At the same time unravelling infringement claims is becoming increasingly difficult. The severity of this matter and its spiraling economic and cultural toll are impossible to overstate. Learning to respect others creati...
Read more