Money Costs Too Much

Carrie Scherach
cs278405@ohio.edu

Paying a source and/or receiving money for a story makes a direct conflict of interest in any circumstance. Money has a strange manipulative power that has a pull many cannot even feel. If a person is to receive pay to provide information for a story, that person is going to say what the reporter wants to hear, ultimately taking away the the reporter's objectivity.

It works the other way too. If a reporter accepts money or any other type of freebies when reporting a story, they could have a bias towards their source. Any journalist who could write under these circumstances, did not take up a journalism career for its chief importance: seeking the truth and reporting it to the public.

In the article from the American Journalism Review "Checkbook Journalism Revisited", it was reported that a journalist paid $20,000 to a woman that was "dirt poor." It's a nice thought that he wanted to help her out, but this money probably changed the way the woman talked to the journalist about her story. The circumstances do make a situation difficult; however, remaining as unbiased as an individual can possibly be is a chief goal in journalism.

In the same article, for McGinnis, his story meant influencing the verdict in a murder trial. The justice system works the way it does for many reasons. That's why there are laws and rules about those that can and cannot serve on the jury, some due to conflicts of interest. After agreeing to share his proceeds, bringing his opinions into the courtroom, and publishing his opinions claiming the defendant was guilty, the trial came to a hung jury.

Although no one can say for sure, the jury probably would have reached a guilty/not guilty verdict without McGinnis's interference in the case. The whole incident was a travesty. The man on trial was up for a life-altering decision, the community's safety and rights were at risk, and the justice system was compromised.

In short, allowing money to influence a journalist's work is never acceptable, regardless of the circumstances. Money changes the journalist's reporting and the way the source presents the information, thus compromising any piece. When it comes down to unbiased reporting and publishing the truth, money costs too much.