Journalistic Ethics

Back in February, I wrote a piece about the difference between bloggers and mainstream media. My theory was that bloggers are more concerned about the story and the truth while the media – given its proximity to our entertainment culture – had become more interested in being pseudo-celebrities.

It seems I missed the target, but hit the tree. Joe Lauria has a piece in WaPo today about the unethical practices he claims were employed by Jason Leopold in his now infamous piece claiming Rove had been indicted.

I think there’s something else at play here. Leopold is in too many ways a man of his times. These days it is about the reporter, not the story; the actor, not the play; the athlete, not the game. Leopold is a product of a narcissistic culture that has not stopped at journalism’s door, a culture facilitated and expanded by the Internet.

I’m glad to see others who recognize this trend. I’m glad to see the MSM starting to point the finger at its own. If only operations like Truthout would practice the same sort of journalistic standards they apply to others, then people like Jason Leopold would not have a place in reporting the news.

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