Should the Newsroom be Open to Visitors?

Nick Rees

nr972810@ohio.edu

In the wake of modern journalism, transparency has become the word du jour. No matter the story, readers are demanding to know nearly everything. 

In this world of wanting information and finding it instantaneously, where should a "good" journalist draw the line? Isn’t the public overstepping their bounds by constantly asking for privileged information and sourced material?

By definition transparency is the act of being clear or transparent. In layman’s terms the public demands journalists to be entirely see-through with all their actions. 

Whistle-blowing: 

The question on every journalist's mind is whether whistle-blowers and confidential sources would exist in a world made of clear glass, and the answer is no.

If every individual with a story to share knew their name and entire reputation would be forever linked with an exposing article, would they risk themselves for the sake of others? More likely than not; those people wouldn’t place themselves in the crossfire just to take every hit.

Photo courtesy of: ABC News

The Edward Snowden and Bradley Manning whistle-blowing debacles have caught the media's attention and brought a call for not only the media, but also the government to be forthcoming with the public. 

It's somewhat noble that these individuals felt moved to share confidential information regarding surveillance and other invasions of privacy, but we must ask where should the line be drawn? In this article from Politics Daily, Delia Lloyd asks if leaking is the future of journalism and if this type of source will change the basis of journalism in its entirety.

Should the public know every nut and bolt of the government’s inner-workings? We must remember there is a reason officials are elected to govern us and write laws to that effect.

We, as the public, need overseers to give us the news we can use and help discern between the necessary stories and those with little credibility. Most people aren’t journalists because they’re incapable of doing just that. So by deciding they need to watch each journalist’s actions the public is declaring that person incompetent in their position.

Scandal & Lies

Truth may be the currency by which a journalist lives, but that doesn’t mean some individuals don’t stretch the truth.

There is a plethora of instances where journalists fabricated stories, stole a person’s work or outright lied.

Photo courtesy of: mediabistro

The most famous example is Stephen Glass. A reporter for The New Republic, Glass was exposed in 1998 after years of writing fraudulent stories. Entire events and people in his articles were fabricated and had been imagined, wreaking havoc on the publication’s credibility. Along with his fabricating brethren New York Times reporter Jayson Blair, Glass ruined reputations and shattered the fragile standing of journalists everywhere.

The incidents mentioned above are covered and analyzed further in this article from The American Journalism Review.

We Need to Right the Boat 

The public promises to believe the stories we report, and we, as journalists, promise to always tell the truth -- except that small amount of trust has been whittled away by too many negative incidents, and the public is left wondering if they were taken for a ride.

If the field of journalism is ever going to right the boat, we need to focus on the truth and allow the public to see what they want. By no means should the public be allowed to view every morsel of data in a newsroom, but if an explanation is demanded journalists shouldn’t be afraid to share.