Eroding Freedoms: Secrecy, Truth and Sources

Eroding Freedoms: Secrecy, Truth and Sources

Summer 2005: Introduction

By Melissa Ludtke• Opinion• June 15, 2005

Among the casualties of the invasion and occupation of Iraq have been truth and trust, according to Sig Christenson, military affairs writer for the San Antonio Express-News. After working as both an embedded and independent reporter in Iraq, he writes about the “propaganda war within Gulf War II,” explaining that “Its roots are in Ground Zero, and I have been a willing participant. So, too, were many other reporters.” – Melissa Ludtke, Editor Read more

Truth and Trust: In Iraq War Coverage, They’ve Become Casualties

By Sig Christenson• Opinion• June 15, 2005

‘How to counter the drip-drip-drip of the dead and the maimed? Blame the media.’ Read more

Military Reporters Protest Restrictions in Court Coverage

By Sig Christenson• Opinion• June 15, 2005

In coverage of the court-marital trial of Army Sgt. Hasan Akbar, a soldier accused of killing other American soldiers with a grenade attack, officers at Fort Bragg required reporters to sign a restrictive agreement. For example, as a condition of … Read more

Journalism In the Age of Pseudoreporting

By Frank Greve• Opinion• June 15, 2005

As fake news surfaces on TV and government public relations staff sizes increase, there are questions worth asking about the impact on journalism. Read more

Journalism and the Public Interest

By Daniel Schorr• Opinion• June 15, 2005

‘… an old-time journalist finds it a matter of sorrow that the press, at the height of its influence, is at a depth of its public approval.’ Read more

Why Objectivity Still Matters

By Stephen J. Berry• Opinion• June 15, 2005

‘Precisely because we understand our [human] maintaining the pursuit of objectivity.’ Read more

Why Won’t Journalists Follow the Money?

By Morton Mintz• Opinion• June 15, 2005

By not revealing the funders behind ‘think tanks,’ the information they provide shouldn’t be considered credible by readers. Read more

Spin Alley: A Microcosm of Journalism’s Struggles

By Lisa Stone• Opinion• June 15, 2005

Will reporters end this ritual and regain the trust of their audience in their 2006 and 2008 political coverage? Read more

Can Government Prohibit a Journalist’s Access to Public Officials?

By Timothy A. Franklin• Opinion• June 15, 2005

Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich, Jr. and The Sun are arguing this in federal court. Read more

All Is Silent at City Hall

By Andrea Wood• Opinion• June 15, 2005

After a local publication challenges the Youngstown, Ohio mayor, city employees are prohibited from speaking with reporters, and the case goes to court. Read more

Anonymous Sources: Their Use in a Time of Prosecutorial Interest

By Walter Pincus• Opinion• June 15, 2005

How are decisions made about publishing information from confidential sources? Read more

Reporters Weigh the Value of Information Against the Threat of Legal Action

By Dan Olmsted• Opinion• June 15, 2005

‘… no one should underestimate the ability of fear and sophisticated sound bites—otherwise known as propaganda—to shape the public mood.’ Read more

Protecting Reporters Who Protect Sources

By Lucy Dalglish• Opinion• June 15, 2005

Strategic disagreement among journalists has stymied attempts to pass a federal shield law. Read more

Trust: What It Means for Journalism

By Karen Stephenson• Opinion• June 15, 2005

‘For people to have trust in this profession, to whom do they look for various standards, for professionalization, of the journalistic craft?’ Read more

‘The Seduction of Secrecy: Toward Better Access to Government Information on the Record’

By Government Information• Opinion• June 15, 2005

In a symposium held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on March 17th, Washington, D.C.-based journalists and media observers came together to discuss the use by journalists of anonymous sources at a time of increased secrecy by government … Read more

The White House: Can It Control the Press?

By Symposium Participants• Opinion• June 15, 2005

With secrecy on the rise, what is happening in Washington, D.C. is having a wider impact on how government officials relate to the press. Read more

A Downward Trend in Use of Anonymous Sources

By Symposium Participants• Opinion• June 15, 2005

Surveys of journalists and public opinion place the use and need for anonymous sources in a broader context. Read more

Reporting in an Era of Heightened Concern About Anonymous Sources

By Symposium Participants• Opinion• June 15, 2005

‘If you push back, you can get results, and we need to push back more collectively.’ Read more

Offering Anonymity Too Easily to Sources

By Symposium Participants• Opinion• June 15, 2005

‘In the past few weeks reporters have called, and the first thing out of their mouth is, “You want to go off the record?”’ Read more

Introducing a New Concept Into Libel Law

By Gilbert Cranberg and Randall P. Bezanson• Opinion• June 15, 2005

‘We think that institutional malice will make the libel inquiry more attuned to the real world.’ Read more

Institutional Decision-Making As a Part of Libel Law

By Gilbert Cranberg and Randall P. Bezanson• Opinion• June 15, 2005

The excerpt that follows appears in the conclusion to the Iowa Law Review article written by Randall P. Bezanson and Gilbert Cranberg. RELATED ARTICLE “Introducing a New Concept Into … Read more

The Public Isn’t Buying Press Credibility

By Carroll Doherty• Opinion• June 15, 2005

‘The seeds of public distrust were sown long before the recent round of scandals.’ Read more

Why the First Amendment (and Journalism) Might Be in Trouble

By John Bare and Ken Dautrich• Opinion• June 15, 2005

‘Only 51 percent of 9th to 12th graders agree that newspapers should be allowed to publish freely without government approval of stories …. Read more

Loving and Doubting Journalism at the Same Time

By George Kennedy• Opinion• June 15, 2005

A University of Missouri survey of public attitudes toward journalism reveals a complex pattern of responses. Read more

Ethical Journalism Is Not an Oxymoron

By Lee Wilkins and Renita Coleman• Opinion• June 15, 2005

In ethical decision-making journalists compare ‘very favorably with those who work in other professions.’ Read more

Looking at American Journalism From the Outside In

By Ron Javers• Opinion• June 15, 2005

‘As journalists struggle to report on and understand their times, they cannot escape being part of their times.’ Read more

When the Beat Does Not Go On

By Huntly Collins• Opinion• June 23, 2005

A longtime journalist reflects on reinventing her life outside of a newsroom. Read more

Journalist's Trade: Training Journalists in Foreign Countries

Summer 2005: Training Journalists in Foreign Countries Introduction

By Melissa Ludtke• Journalist’s Trade• June 15, 2005

“Courses that are designed to inspire journalists or encourage creative approaches to the craft are more likely to be exercises in frustration if, at the end of the training, they return to underresourced newsrooms running on skeleton budgets,” writes … Read more

When Journalism Training Isn’t Enough

By Sue Valentine• International Journalism• June 15, 2005

‘… our newsrooms are impoverished, and it will take much more than training courses to correct the situation.’ Read more

Press Silence Before Rwanda’s Genocide

By Jacques A. Rivard• Opinion• June 15, 2005

‘If any of my students reacted against the government’s methods of control, they feared for their lives.’ Read more

Training Iraqi Translators How to Act as Reporters

By Patrick J. McDonnell• Journalist’s Trade• June 15, 2005

With concerns about safety, ‘our interpreters became something much more than translators.’ Read more

A Challenging Experience in Cape Verde

By Rui Araujo• Opinion• June 15, 2005

‘There are journalists who justify their apathy with the lack of [good working] conditions.’ Read more

Helping Armenian Reporters Dig Deeper

By Lucinda Fleeson• Opinion• June 15, 2005

More in-depth and better-documented stories began to be told after an intensive training program. Read more

Advice and Guidance for International Journalism Trainers

By John Bare• Journalist’s Trade• June 15, 2005

‘Until overseas trainers get to know the interests of the particular individuals with whom they’ll work, they are unlikely to be able to specify terms of success.’ Read more

Trainers Can Remain Foreign to Local Journalists

By Ragip Duran• Journalist’s Trade• June 15, 2005

Due to cultural and language differences, trainers can be ‘regarded as a sort of extraterrestrial as they deliver their advice and lessons.’ Read more

Lessons in Teaching Foreign Journalists

By Jerome Aumente• Journalist’s Trade• June 15, 2005

‘Issues of press freedom and independence … burn into your consciousness and touch your heart.’ Read more

Strategies for Training International Journalists

By Jerome Aumente• Journalist’s Trade• June 15, 2005

RELATED ARTICLE “Lessons in Teaching Foreign Journalists” – Jerome AumenteDecades of experience in assisting journalists in foreign countries offer insights into what works best. In a book I am writing about … Read more

Support for International Journalism Training

By Jerome Aumente• Journalist’s Trade• June 15, 2005

RELATED ARTICLE “Lessons in Teaching Foreign Journalists” – Jerome AumenteMany organizations contribute to international training efforts. In the past, funding has come from a variety of sources, some private, others governmental. Read more

When Bureaucracy Trumps Excellence

By Valerie Hyman• International Journalism• June 15, 2005

In Eastern Europe, journalists struggle to find their footing. Read more

Tips for American Trainers

By Valerie Hyman• Journalist’s Trade• June 15, 2005

RELATED ARTICLE “When Bureaucracy Trumps Excellence” – Valerie HymanRegardless of what organization sends a trainer overseas, what follows are suggestions that could make the experience more effective for everyone. Before leaving the … Read more

Journalism Education That Succeeds

By Karl Idsvoog• Journalist’s Trade• June 15, 2005

Students at Tbilisi’s Caucasus School learn by immersing themselves in the skills and work of journalism. Read more

Getting Ukrainian Journalists to Ask Ordinary People Questions

By Peggy Simpson• Journalist’s Trade• June 15, 2005

‘We wanted to get them to report beyond press releases and false assurances of the politicians and bureaucrats.’ Read more

Debating How and Why Journalists Do What They Do

By Kevin Cullen• Opinion• June 15, 2005

‘After listening to the real-life stories of real-life Polish journalists, I wasn’t so dogmatic or judgmental.’ Read more

It’s Tough to Find New Footholds in Journalism

By George Abraham• Opinion• June 15, 2005

‘My experience speaks to the barriers that prevent the free trade of journalistic talent.’ Read more

Respecting Cultural Traditions in a Newsroom

By Tim Giago• Opinion• June 15, 2005

At the Lakota Times, editors help reporters blend their language and ceremonies into their work. Read more

New Tools in Telling News Stories

By Daniel Ulanovsky• Journalist’s Trade• June 15, 2005

In online workshops, Spanish-speaking journalists learn how to convey news in its broader reality. Read more

Planting the Roots of Public Radio In Chile

By Doug Mitchell• Journalist’s Trade• June 15, 2005

‘Teaching public radio in a place where people didn’t know anything about it was a huge challenge ….’ Read more

Teaching Journalism, Finding a Home

By Michele McLellan• Features• June 15, 2005

A big challenge was balancing ‘my strong sense of ethical practice with a desire to avoid preaching an “American way”….’ Read more

Sharing Techniques of Publishing

By Ralph Hancox• International Journalism• June 15, 2005

In Jakarta, an admirable venture was in need of organizational training. Read more

International Journalism

Summer 2005: International Journalism Introduction

By Melissa Ludtke• International Journalism• June 15, 2005

Rarely do photographs accompany words on the op-ed page of The New York Times. But earlier this year Times columnist Nicholas Kristof connected four gruesome images of the genocide taking place in Darfur with his ongoing reporting about the … Read more

When Genocide Is a Story Left Largely Untold

By Nicholas Kristof• International Journalism• June 15, 2005

‘The challenge for journalists in a situation like Darfur is to remember that our job is to cover history, albeit on the fly, and not just events or press conferences.’ Read more

Darfur Fits Into a Pattern of Reporting Neglect

By Ellen Knickmeyer• International Journalism• June 15, 2005

‘Newspaper bosses are unlikely ever to return Africa staffing to what it was in the 1990’s.’ Read more

Fear and Self-Censorship in Vladimir Putin’s Russia

By Masha Gessen• International Journalism• June 12, 2009

‘One bargains with oneself. How much can I sacrifice before I lose respect for myself as a journalist?’ Read more

Editorial Dilemmas at an Independent Magazine in Moscow

By Masha Gessen• International Journalism• June 15, 2005

Mikhail Khodorkovsky on trial in Moscow. Photo by Misha Japaridze/The Associated Press.To get a better idea of our options—when it came time for us to decide how to report on the two verdicts … Read more

Increasing Press Repression in Russia

By Alex Lupis• International Journalism• June 15, 2005

‘… bullying calls from the presidential administration or local governors act as a covert substitute for the rule of law.’ Read more