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This NewsHour archive presents past coverage of journalistic scandals
as well as cases in which media ethics are called into question.
May 13, 2005
-- Last month, Sens. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., and John Kerry, D-Mass.,
introduced legislation to require video news releases, or VNRs, to be be
clearly labeled as coming from the government. Jeffrey Brown looks at the
ongoing controversy surrounding VNRs.
May 9, 2005
-- Update:
An internal committee at The New York Times has recommended a number of
steps to improve readers' trust in the newspaper, including having senior
editors write a regular column about the internal workings of the paper,
making reporters and editors more available to the public and systematically
tracking errors.
New York Times Report: Preserving
Our Readers' Trust (PDF required)
April 14, 2005
-- Update:
FCC Warns Broadcasters to Identify Sources of VNRs
Responding to public criticism over government-sponsored videos packaged
as television news reports, the Federal Communications Commission reminded
broadcasters Wednesday that they must disclose the origins of material that
their audiences are viewing.
April 6, 2005
-- Update:
First Ombudsmen Named to Critique Public TV, Radio
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which oversees National Public
Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, on Tuesday named two veteran
journalists as its first two ombudsmen to critique the work of public
radio and television.
January 27, 2005
-- Paying
for Plugs: Kwame Holman reports on the recent incidents in which writers
received federal funding for work related to the promotion of Bush administration
proposals. Then, Gwen Ifill leads a discussion with two columnists and a
media expert on the journalistic ethics of these cases.
January 13, 2005
-- Credibility
Gap Terence Smith leads a discussion on how recent scandals and lapses
in journalistic judgment impact the public's perception of the news media.
January 10, 2005 -- CBS'
Black Eye Terence Smith discusses what went wrong with the authors
of the review, Louis Boccardi and Richard Thornburgh, and then speaks
with Linda Mason, CBS' newly appointed senior vice president of standards
and special projects, about what changes the network will make. CBS
News: Independent
Panel's Report (PDF file)
October 12, 2004 -- News
or Views? Terence Smith leads a debate over Sinclair Broadcast Group's decision
to preempt regular programming to present a documentary critical of Senator Kerry
as a news program shortly before Election Day.
September 20, 2004
-- Eye
of the Storm CBS News on Monday announced that the network could no longer
vouch for the authenticity of the memos and that the source who gave the documents
to CBS -- Bill Burkett -- admitted to willfully deceiving CBS News. In a statement,
the network said it was misled over the origin and authenticity of documents and
expressed deep regret for using the documents in the 60 Minutes report. Margaret
Warner speaks with media experts about CBS News' admission, the network's apology
and what the impact will be on CBS News.
September 16, 2004
-- Eye
of the Storm Several document experts have raised questions about the authenticity
of memos CBS News anchor Dan Rather cited in a 60 Minutes report last week about
President Bush's Vietnam-era service in the Texas Air National Guard. Terence
Smith speaks with two media experts about the investigation into the documents'
authenticity, the network's handling of the controversy and potential fallout
for CBS News.
August 11, 2004 -- Protecting
Sources A federal judge held Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper in contempt
of court on Monday for refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating whether
White House sources illegally revealed the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame.
Terence Smith and guests discuss a prosecutor's right to subpoena reporters in
criminal grand jury investigations and a journalist's privilege to protect the
identities of confidential sources.
May 21, 2004 -- New
Details The Washington Post printed new photos of alleged abuse at the Abu
Ghraib prison near Baghdad and posted a video of the incidents on its Web site.
Terence Smith discusses the decision to publish the pictures with the Post's Executive
Editor Leonard Downie.
April 21, 2004 -- Breach
of Trust The editor of USA Today, the nation's largest-circulation newspaper,
retired Tuesday in the wake of a scandal involving the paper's former star foreign
correspondent, Jack Kelley. Terence Smith discusses the scandal and its fallout
with USA Today Washington bureau chief Susan Page and Geneva Overholser, a professor
of journalism at the University of Missouri and former Washington Post ombudsman.
March 22, 2004 -- Breach
of Trust USA Today said Friday that a seven-week examination of the work of
its former star foreign correspondent Jack Kelley found strong evidence that he
had fabricated substantial portions of at least eight major stories. The publisher
issued an apology. Terence Smith and guests look at how news organizations are
responding to these problems.
August 8, 2003 -- Naming
the Accuser Terence Smith discusses whether media organizations should make
public the name of the accuser in stories about rape cases with Geneva Overholser,
a professor at the University of Missouri, and Catherine Crier, an anchor and
executive editor at Court TV.
July 31, 2003 -- Policing
Papers Terence Smith discusses the recent changes at The New York Times with
Joann Byrd, a member of the Siegal committee that examined The Times's newsroom
policies, and Susan Tifft, a journalism professor at Duke University.
June 5, 2003 -- Troubled
Times New York Times Executive Editor Howell Raines and Managing Editor Gerald
Boyd resigned from their posts Thursday in the wake of a damaging plagiarism scandal
and criticisms about the newspaper's management style. Terence Smith examines
whether the resignations will restore confidence in The New York Times within
its newsroom and in the public's eyes.
May 28, 2003 --
Shock
Waves The controversy over former New York Times reporter Jayson Blair's plagiarized
and fabricated stories has caused upheaval within the paper and has reverberated
in newsrooms across the country.
[Editor's Note: This discussion aired before
Pulitzer Prize-winning national correspondent Rick Bragg officially resigned from
The New York Times Wednesday night over a dispute concerning his crediting methods.]
May 12, 2003 -- Management
Failure? In the wake of the New York Times' trouble with plagiarism, Terence
Smith reports on how newspapers can prevent such fraud and fabrication on a grand
scale.
May 9, 2003 -- The
Search for Truth Media Corespondent Terence Smith speaks to New York Times
Executive Editor Howell Raines about the resignation of former reporter Jayson
Blair amid charges of plagiarism, and how his paper is handling the situation.
November 21, 2002 -- Crossing
the Line? Terence Smith investigates whether the chairman of the Fox News
Channel crossed the line by sending a letter of post-Sept. 11 advice to the president.
October 23, 2002 -- The
Media and the Sniper Case Terence Smith leads reporters in a discussion about
the role and responsibilities of the media in the sniper investigation.
April 15, 2003 -- The
Media's War CNN chief news executive Eason Jordan revealed in a New York Times
op-ed that he withheld information about how Saddam Hussein's regime had intimidated
and tortured Iraqis who had helped the Cable News Network over the years. Terence
Smith speaks with Jordan and Franklin Foer, associate editor of The New Republic,
about the network's journalistic judgment and coverage of Iraq prior to the start
of the war.
Aug. 24, 1998 -- Nothing
but the Truth? Mike Barnicle resigns from the Boston Globe amid accusations
of plagiarism.
July 1, 1998 -- Unfit
to Print? Following the revelation about Stephen Glass's concocted stories
in The New Republic, guests review the recent ethical lapses in journalism.
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