The Price of Checkbook Journalism

Tyler Butler
tb238410@ohio.edu
Make Up Blog 9/22

Checkbook journalism can be defined as paying money in order to receive exclusive rights to a personal interview or other information for a news story. While this form of journalism has certain advantages, every journalist should be concerned about the consequences of checkbook journalism and know the dangers associated with it.

(Via publicbroadcasting)

The Pros

Paying for news has its advantages. If it didn't, then respected media outlets like these wouldn't have been doing it for so long. Checkbook journalism allows media businesses to get exclusive interviews they might not have otherwise have been able to, and gain an advantage over its other competitors. While its been debated back and forth whether checkbook journalism is an ethical practice news and gossip sites that pay for information have been the ones breaking the big stories, and other companies are joining in so they don't get left behind.

The Cons

What many journalist's are concerned about is the "slippery slope" effect checkbook journalism can have on the profession. If media outlets are willing to pay a person for their interview, what's stopping the next person from demanding as much if not even more money? There are also going to be concerns about the interview itself. Is the person making up information for profit? Did the media outlet have to shy away from certain questions in order to get the person to agree to an interview? In the end media outlets are paying top dollar to lose their credibility.

The Future

Although checkbook journalism is viewed as an easy story or even a necessity by some media outlets, a world in which people only interview for profit would be devastating to the profession. It would take power away from local papers, and place it into the hands of a few giant media businesses. Credible information would turn into a guessing game, leaving people to wonder if a person's account of an event was accurate or if they fooled someone to make a quick profit. Although checkbook journalism will never completely go away, it is essential to make sure it does not become the general accepted practice among journalists.