The following was posted by Kevin Z. Smith, former National President, chair of the ethics committee that produced an excellent and fluid revision to our Code of Ethics and most recent recipient of the Wells Memorial Key for service to the Society. This is a must-read. And a must-save. And a must-keep. I think so many journalists are in mourning over former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlees death because there are so few like him today. Whose fault is that? What have we allowed American journalism to become? Where he demanded accuracy and verification we substitute rumors and sensationalism. Where he insisted on credibility and accountability, we offer the public insincere excuses and bloviated punditry instead of facts. He was demanding and courageous. Weve become sloppy, riddled with excuses and afraid to challenge the status quo. Journalism of the 70s, Watergate-fueled journalism, has been replaced with hackers and pretenders, rating-seekers, mind-rotting cable TV, social exploitation and corporations more interested in the bottom line than honoring their duty to an informed citizenry. If you want to honor him, dont RIP him. Go out tomorrow and start acting like him. Be what he demanded of himself and restore integrity, ethics and duty back to journalism. Start demanding more from journalism at every level. Good journalism still exists, but we need more. We may be lost, but we can find our way back to Ben Bradlee journalism if we try. He doesnt have to be the end of an era.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 20:50:53 +0000
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