CREDIBILITY IN QUESTION

April 2005
		Public trust in the news media has been shaken by several recent scandals and lapses of journalistic judgment. Two experts answer your questions about specific cases of journalistic misdemeanors and how the news organizations in general can improve their credibility. Special Report: Credibility in Question

Forum Introduction Have past administrations used pseudo-journalists, like Jeff Gannon, to help improve media coverage? Should reporters stick to reporting and leave the commentary to experts and analysts? Are journalists less aggressive than they should be with the Bush administration? Is it ethical for a working reporter to keep a blog? How do we know which writers are paid consultants and which are delivering personal or educated opinions? Did the 'real story' get lost in the fallout from the flawed 60 Minutes report on President Bush's National Guard Service? Is it ethical for media outlets to restrict what type of news they report? Are there conflicts of interest for federal employees who become reporters? Could the Fairness Doctrine become law and what impact it would have on the news? Does corporate ownership of a news provider taint coverage?	Professional ethics play a major role in ensuring that news organizations fulfill their responsibility to inform the public and to deliver news without bias. Yet, new media technologies -- such as the Internet, Web-logs (blogs) and the 24-hour news cycle on cable -- can present challenges to traditional journalism ethics. Unlike some other professions, journalists cannot be stripped of professional licenses if found to violate industry standards or ethics. What rights do you have as a news consumer, and what is the best method to lodge a complaint about media coverage you perceive as poor or incomplete? Michael Getler, ombudsman for The Washington Post and former executive editor for the International Herald Tribune, and Jay Rosen, chairman of New York University's journalism department and blogger of pressthink.org, answer your questions.