Does Crossing One Line Bleed Across Another?

Danielle Sills
ds325505@ohio.edu

In the LA Times article “A Journalist Breaks the Golden Rule,” Howard Rosenberg makes a bold statement. He says if you “cross one ethical line… it’s that much easier to cross another.” The article refers to Anna Song, an investigative reporter for Oregon City's KATU, who gave a eulogy at the funeral for two local girls whose story she had been investigating.

Promo for KATU's Investigative Journalism with Anna Song

I Beg to Differ
I agree with Rosenberg that Song may have crossed an ethical line in this situation. However, I question that making one choice that blurs ethical boundaries will necessarily lead to another. Song made one decision in a specific situation. Will this trigger her to make more and more “unethical decisions”? I doubt it.

Throughout their careers, journalists fight to adhere to both personal and official ethical codes. Each decision gives reporters yet another chance to make the right choice. It almost seems as if Rosenberg’s claim is a blanket statement similar to something like “marijuana is a gateway drug.” Can we assume that crossing one ethical line predicates crossing another?

A Conscious Stream of Choices
The great thing about journalism is that we practice making decisions like these every day. It is a constant exercise in deep reflection. In working on the Athens MidDay noon newscast over the past few quarters, I dealt with new dilemmas every day. Could I interview a person a friend had once introduced me to without having a bias? Was it ok to use video of open lap swimming in a story about the women’s swim team?

With each opportunity, I made a new decision based on the situation. Anna Song may have made a questionable ethical decision. But I don’t think that will necessarily make it easier for her to do the same in the future.