It has certainly been a busy — and historic — week for journalists in the United States. We love big stories, and we got them. We love surprises, and we got them.
In Denver, the Democrats nominated the first African-American candidate of a major party, while orchestrating a clockwork convention designed to show unity after a divisive primary campaign.
Barack Obama had hardly given his acceptance speech in a rock-star setting in front of 75,000 supporters before John McCain grabbed the headlines and surprised the world by picking Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as the first woman for a top slot in the GOP’s history.
Oh, yes. A major hurricane bore down on New Orleans. Gustav disrupted the script of the Republican convention, revived memories of 2005’s Katrina and the devastation of a great American city and reminded many of the damage the response to that storm did to the reputation of the Bush administration.
Then on Monday, in a development worthy of a soap opera, the McCain campaign revealed that Palin’s 17-year-old unmarried daughter, Bristol, was pregnant, in an announcement intended to knock down rumors by bloggers that Palin faked her own pregnancy to cover up for her child.
The story raises a number of ethical issues for journalists, which is why I’m writing today.
First, an introduction: I am Reuters’ newly named Editor for Ethics, Innovation and News Values. One of my missions is to lead discussions on ethics and standards wherever journalism is practiced at Thomson Reuters — and the Palin story seems a good place to start. It raises important issues for journalism: the right of public figures’ families to privacy; the mainstream media’s relationship with bloggers and other media; and the relationship between journalists and the people they cover.
The pregnancy story — like many stories now — got its start in the blogosphere, with liberal bloggers, such as those on the Daily Kos discussing rumors that the governor’s fifth child, born in April, was in fact her daughter’s. Conservative blogs, such as Townhall.com launched furious rebuttals. The McCain campaign chose to reveal Bristol’s pregnancy on a major U.S. holiday, at a time when much of the public’s attention was still focused on barbecues and beaches and the media’s attention was focused on Hurricane Gustav.
But the story was neither overlooked by the public nor overshadowed by Gustav.
There was instant debate over whether Bristol’s pregnancy was anyone’s business but hers and her family’s; whether candidates’ children should be off-limits (Obama thought so); whether GOP delegates would stand by Palin (all signs are that they are); and whether the McCain campaign’s vetting process had been less than thorough.
So let’s have some debate (or at least discussion) here. What do you think of the media’s coverage of this story?
–Does the public have a right to know whether Sarah Palin’s (or any candidate’s) daughter is pregnant or not?
–Should the private lives of family members of presidential and vice-presidential candidates be off-limits?
–How aggressively should the mainstream media pursue allegations and rumors in the blogosphere and tabloid media?
–Should journalists have reported the Palin pregnancy story before the McCain campaign’s announcement?
I’m looking forward to your views on this story -and on other stories in the future. Reuters and other news organizations don’t operate in a vacuum. We wouldn’t be in business were it not for you, our customers, clients and users.
Dean Wright is Global Editor, Ethics, Innovation and News Values
(Photo credit: REUTERS/Matt Sullivan)
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And here lies the true problem…in the previous post, 85,000,000,000 divided by 200,000,000 = $425 dollars.
That email probably made the rounds of most of us in the US, and I don’t think that would solve anyones’s problems. But it highlights our current “human” condition, believing everything you read or hear without thinking, and then spreading the word. This applies to politics, economics, or any other conflict where those involved operate as a pair of magnets…if the polar ends agree, they are drawn together by substantial forces. If they disagree, the force to separate is just as powerful in the opposite direction. The world is a complex system without a possible exact solution, and until everyone involved is willing to investigate why their “opponent” feels the way they do…there will be no REAL progress. You may not agree 100%, but understanding that every solution will be a true compromise would be a giant step forward. Every day should be toward trying to understand the root of the problem and the opposite view, not defending the poles.
Is this a wish for Utopia…yep, will it ever happen, nope. But I will die knowing I was not a part of the problem.
- Posted by alexI think all candidates should have an open book. Underage children should be off limits. I believe all the candidates should start by showing their birth certicates to prove exactly where they were born , to be certain they should even be allowed in the race for Pres. of the United States of America, not United States of the World. If they are friendly with terrorist, and wont salute our flag and only wear the flag pin when the party insist and used the koran when being sworn into office. Then I feel these are the things that should matter with all people(democrat or republician)more than a pregnant teenager. I am sure that most all of you have had one in your family or friends or neighbors have. So, dont throw stones, its unbecoming. Get your heads out of the sand and really check out who is running for Pres.
- Posted by JoyceJoyce
I wasn’t sure where to post this, and this seemed like good a place as any.
I’m against the $85,000,000, 000.00 bailout of AIG. Instead, I’m in favor of giving $85,000,000, 000 to America in a We Deserve It Dividend.
To make the math simple, let’s assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+. Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman
and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18
and up. So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that
equals $425,000.00.
My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a We Deserve It Dividend.
Of course, it would NOT be tax-free.
So let’s assume a tax rate of 30%. Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000, 000 right back to Uncle Sam. But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket.
A husband and wife has $595,000 .00. What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?
Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.
Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads
Put away money for college - it’ll be there
Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs.
Buy a new car - create jobs
Invest in the market - capital drives growth
Pay for your parent’s medical insurance - health care
improves
Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean - or else
Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.
If we’re going to re-distribute wealth let’s really do it…instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( “vote buy” ) economic incentive that is being proposed by
one of our candidates for President. If we’re going to do an $85 billion bailout, let’s
bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!
As for AIG - liquidate it.
Sell off its parts.
Let American General go back to being American General.
Sell off the real estate.
Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean
it up.
Here’s my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn’t.
Sure it’s a crazy idea that can “never work.”
But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!
How do you spell Economic Boom?
I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion We Deserve It Dividend more than the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC.
And remember, The Family plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because
$25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.
Ahhh…I feel so much better getting that off my chest.
Kindest personal regards,
A Creative Guy & Citizen of the Republic.
Interesting
‘Be kinder than necessary
- Posted by Tishabecause everyone you meet is fighting
some kind of battle.
The obsession with everything about Palin is distracting voters from the more important issues like unemployment, mortgage mess, bank runs, bailouts, declining assets, inflation, etc.
Does the next American President have the resolve to tackle such issues and bring Americans out of the current malaise?
That should be the main concern, not Palin’s hoop earrings, spectacle, babies, hacked email, etc.
http://jeflin.net
- Posted by jeflinI do not like the media’s involvment, I believe they twist things instead of reporting the news. I do not believe that the media or people have the right to bad-mouth the Palin’s over their daughter’s pregnancy, it is none of their business. Where was all the ‘covered mouthed gasps’ when the President of the United States was being investigated for illegal land deals and infidelity? Oh, I’m sorry, it was determined by the ‘media’ that oral sex is not sex, therefore we could not hold the President at that time responsible. You have a family that is standing by their daughter, offering support and love regarding a private situation. Oh the fickleness of our society. How can we not hold one person to be morally responsible but yet demand it of someone else? I look more at what the individual candidates have done for this country and what I have seen so far hasn’t changed my mind in the least on who I will be voting for.
- Posted by kimMike Kelly asked “What parent would knowingly make their child the subject of this avalanche of publicity?”
Mr. Kelly seems to assume that Bristol would be spared the publicity if her mother turned down the VP nomination. That assumption must rely on an assumption that news of the VP offer and Palin’s refusal would stay secret. I doubt that very highly.
Even if it were not much of a national story, which I also doubt, it would be a BIG story in Bristol’s home town. She would be subjected to all the publicity that would matter to her, and she would be known as the kid who destroyed her mother’s chance to be VP by doing things her mother advised her against doing.
I don’t know about teenagers in Mr. Kelly’s experience, but in my experience they feel that they are responsibility for their own actions when their actions go against their parent’s rules. They want the right to make their own mistakes, but don’t expect their parents to pay for their mistakes and would be humiliated if their parents have to.
I think her chances of recovering her self esteem are much better as the VP nominee’s daughter than as the kid who ruined her mother’s chance to be VP.
I don’t write as a Palin supporter, by the way. I am more likely to vote for Joe Schriner (www.voteforjoe.com) who sought the Green Party Nomination and is now a write-in candidate.
- Posted by Bernie BaconIssues, policies, economics, war and so many other critical components of an election have taken a backseat. Instead we spend our time discussing the VP’s daughter’s pregnancy, lipstick, pigs, and pitbulls. This presidential election has received so much international attention. The world is truly watching and we are not exhibiting the characteristic of a country known as the leader of the free world. What happened to America
- Posted by RoschelleOne’s got the feeling that this was a desperate move on Senator McCain and or the republican party to exploit the female. Senator Clinton, a female, was rallying a lot of attention on the Democratic side of the presidintal ticket so the republican party thinks that that’s what America wants. It’s not about black or white, male or female but what the candiate can bring to the ticket as far as domestic and foreign experience. Sarah Palin might be smart but there’s a lot of other right wing consertive canadates with more Washington intelligence then her. Shame on them for thinking that were not smart enough to figure that out.
T in Indiana
- Posted by TomThe biggest news is always buried by Reuters Editors: Reuters is in the bag Obama. Sarah Palin is persecuted by a corrupt and sexist media. These should be the headlines accompanied by cutting edge reports that shake every tree, rake every leaf, excoriating the perpetrators of bigotry: the venal anti American cabal at Rueters.
- Posted by rural americanThanks to all of you for a thoughtful discussion on these issues. As my colleague, Adam Pasick, notes, there is already activity on the online prediction markets gauging whether Palin will stay on the ticket: http://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/2008/09 /02/prediction-markets-place-bets-on-pa lins-permanence/.
Whatever happens, I’m certain there will be other coverage issues for we in the media to wrestle with this campaign and I look forward to using this forum to discuss them.
- Posted by Dean WrightOf course we have a right to know.
- Posted by Aldine WallaceI keep waiting for someone to ask “Where is the father of this unborn child?” Surely he would have married her already if he cared about her and the child. Does anybody care about him when this gun toting mom forces him to marry her daughter? Did the daughter want to not have this baby? I agree with the above comment, she must hate her mother.
Now I am a card carrying unabashed Bay Area liberal, but even I feel very strongly that this media feeding frenzy has gone too far. While there is a certain irony to the teenage daughter of a fierce proponent of ‘abstainance only’ education becoming pregnant, I do not feel that it is relevant in the least to the question of Gov. Palin’s judgment, political views, policies, or qualifications. This is all one big distraction.
As a working professional I consume enough news have a reasonable idea where the truth stands, how is it that professional news organizations get it so wrong. An example is the ‘troopergate’ “scandal”. From what I’ve ascertained, she exerted political pressure to get her ex-brother in law, who shot her nephew with a taser and threatened to kill her father, fired. Now maybe this is just my experience, but I can’t think of a single profession where could I threaten one of the chief executive’s family members and still expect to have a job the next day.
Why aren’t we talking about real issues or questions of judgment, such as how Gov. Palin denies the link between human industrial activity and global warming? What’s more important here? That the candidate’s daughter made a foolish youthful mistake, or that the candidate them self, who has no scientific background that I know of, feels that they somehow have insight about the nature of climate change that thousands of professional scientists around the world who make a living studying the earth’s climate lack? Personally, I’m much more interested in knowing whether or not a person vying for a position second to the president is of the type that will throw out the facts when they conflict with their preconceived notions than what their daughter does in her spare time.
- Posted by gothamcitypolitico-What do you think of the media’s coverage of this story?
Yes, I think the MSM handled it well. I have a right to know all the ‘facts’ relating to any candidate.
–Does the public have a right to know whether Sarah Palin’s (or any candidate’s) daughter is pregnant or not?
Yes, all the facts are pertinent.
–Should the private lives of family members of presidential and vice-presidential candidates be off-limits? Yes, as king as they are not involved with a candidate’s campaign.
–How aggressively should the mainstream media pursue allegations and rumors in the blogosphere and tabloid media? Very aggressively. This is where MSM is transitioning (from print to internet), so the same way that reporters cover the courthouse, a baseball game, a business opening or closing…they should cover all serious trends on the net. The MSM should not cover tabloid type stuff, unless it is some type of real news. Leave it the tabloids.
–Should journalists have reported the Palin pregnancy story before the McCain campaign’s announcement? Yes, they should report factual news as it happens.
- Posted by SteveThe public doesn’t have a “right to know”, but the public will know. So I guess the question is, how will they know? Will it find out from reputable news organizations that take the time to verify their sources and vet the story, or by insinuation and whisper campaigns? If a rumor has been started, I’d like to know the truth, be it John McCain’s black baby, swift boat veterans for truth, or Barack Obama is a secret muslim. I don’t which is more helpful for squashing rumors, running away from the the rumors or confronting them. But if multiple news organizations vet and debunk them then I feel better that the truth will sink into the consciousness of the american public.
Private lives of family members are not categorically off limits. Use your own judgment. My own thoughts on the matter, if the family member is campaigning for their relative or chooses to speak up in support of an issue, what they say should be vetted and tough questions asked (age appropriate, you don’t ask the 5 year old that gets trotted out for photos how he/she feels about the parent’s martial infidelities, etc). But adult children don’t get to be a walking infomercial just because they’re not the one running for office.
Bristol Palin as far as I know hasn’t done any campaigning. I think her pregnancy highlights the failings of abstinence only education, but I don’t need her to show that. She’s just an anecdote. The evidence and statistics more than demonstrate what the correct position is. This announcement would seem to put to rest the rumor that Trig is really Bristol’s child, therefore further coverage on the topic seems unnecessary unless something comes up that actually adds to our understanding of governor Palin’s policy views and character.
- Posted by barnettoOkay, first off, I would say that this is a very complicated issue. Journalists should probably not go around reporting things not officially announced by the first party. But who can tell that to reporters? Now, think that how her family life is run tells us a lot about her capabilities to lead in this country. If her daughter were grown and on her own, then I might see her as free from responsibility. But her daughter is 17 years old and pregnant. Yes, thank God she is making the right decision by marrying the man she has already made herself one with, and keeping her baby alive. But Palin cannot even handle her own household. Not to mention, I agree with those who say that she has a special needs baby, she has a big family and lots to take care of. Becoming Vice President, not to mention, if McCain were to die in office, President, she will be sorely neglecting her family. So I certainly think that people who are considering giving McCain their vote should know about the Palin’s family issues. If, for instance, I were to know that a candidate for President or their running mate had a gay or lesbian child, it would definitely affect my vote.
Now, about the aggressive pursuit by tabloids and media, that drives me batty! Those crazy people have got to get ahold of every little piece of celebrity “dirt” (true or not) and go wild with it! When you walk up to any check out, you will see 400 different papers, all telling contradictory stories about a famous person. People’s reputations can be irreparably destroyed by this kind of hunger and thirst for gossip! I LOATHE IT!!!
- Posted by tuscandesigner–Does the public have a right to know whether Sarah Palin’s (or any candidate’s) daughter is pregnant or not?
A: Of course. Why should we not have that right? It shows what kind of mother/father they are. It shows if they cannot manage a child’s upbringing, they will probably be bad at managing teh country. It shows they are probably a dysfunctional family. It shows bad judgment as a parent. It shows that they are biting off more than they can chew - with 5 kids, similar to what Bush did with Iraq. Every little detail is important and nothing is off limits.
–Should the private lives of family members of presidential and vice-presidential candidates be off-limits?
-No. Not at all. Why? Nobody forced them to run. Be prepared to handle that pressure. If you cannot, then you are not qualified to handle the pressures of a Soviet nuclear buildup.
The decision to apply for and become the most public figure in the society comes with the disadvantage of having your life scrutinized.
–How aggressively should the mainstream media pursue allegations and rumors in the blogosphere and tabloid media?
- Only up to the point of finding and reporting facts. Things become bad only when teh media churns those facts for maximum public controversy.
–Should journalists have reported the Palin pregnancy story before the McCain campaign’s announcement?
- Posted by Rob-Yes. As I said earlier - every little fact goes to make up the picture of who she really is. Now we know that that picture is of a gun toting convervative redneck trailer trash. I don’t mean that in a bad way. Those type of people are welcome to live their life - but such a person should not be leading the country. The news of the pregnancy and other personal facts helped make up that pictures. So how can you say that it is not important to report those facts?
Ideally, the private lives of politicians’ kids should remain private. However, this case raises questions of Palin’s supposed commitment to the “family values” agenda. The facts suggest she was so eager to jump onboard the McCain camapaign, she didn’t think about how it would affect her family. Did she imagine she could become VP while somehow none of this would become public?
Given her stance on the right-wing social agenda–that being one of the major reasons she was picked, i.e. McCain needed to firm up support with the Right–one wonders whether Palin’s stance is purely for partisan political advantage, but irrelevant to how she actually lives her life and raises her family. In short: are her conservative values genuine, or is she a hypocrite?
Most important is how all this reflects on McCain’s judgment and the competence of his Presidential campaign. It would appear Palin was poorly vetted, if at all.
- Posted by cwmCheck this out, Palin addresses the Alaskan Independence Policy: http://www.akip.org/conv08.html
- Posted by JoshThere are several very good reasons “the” pregnancy should be discussed. The Republicans tout themselves to be the “moral majority”..this is the heart of their party and campaign. This speaks to that issue explicitly…Are the Palin’s a good role model for the masses? Any teenage pregnancy of an unwed teenage girl is a HUGE mistake and a tragedy…do we want a soap-opera family in the position of being the next President of the U.S.? Are they to be commended for welcoming the baby to their family or chastised for letting it happen…I strongly believe the latter is the more important subject. I, and many others, have always felt that teenage pregnancy is in great part due to lack of parental supervision and knowledge of what their child is doing and who the child is involved with…are we to believe this was a “one shot deal”? I also believe the situation brings attention to the judgement of McCain and his advisors…did they REALLY know the daughter was pregnant and did not think it would be an “issue”? What planet are they on? Then, if they did not know, as I suspect, it shows they made a very impetous decision that does not demonstrate the judgement a President of the United States should have…both deplorable situations. Bottom line, this issue should be front and center of ALL political discussions at this time and McCain is not Presidential material…!!!!
- Posted by Stephanie Schieltz