Journalism Ethics

Journalism ethics 101

Aside from Larry King or Hardball with Chris Matthews journalists do not pay for sources at least the ethical ones.

However, suppose you’re doing a story with an end game where you’ll get a scholarship or win an award for $20,000.00.

The topic of choice is homelessness say you need to write a biography or a critique of homelessness in America so course you go and find a homeless person to interview.

So you do your due diligence and find a homeless person to interview and for the sake of argument let’s call him Ralph and Ralph says I agree to be interviewed and since you’re going for the cash prize of $20,000.00 in this contest I ask that you buy me lunch for all that days I am interviewed.

Is that fair?

Some would argue it is fair you’re trying to get something from Ralph why shouldn’t get something from you something small. Ralph is not asking for you to buy him a house and car it is food—a hungry man wants some food.

Others maintain it is jeopardizing the integrity of the story suppose. If Ralph is being paid no matter how small then he may make up information to continue being interviewed to continue receiving compensation.

What to do then?

What I can’t tell anybody what to do about that because everybody is different.

But for me, it’s simple. You cannot pay cannot compromise integrity of journalism simply to win a contest. There are others ways to get the information even if it means having to find someone else to interview. Paying for information will only open Pandora’s Box and it just isn’t worth it.