Journalism During War: Patriotism vs. Journalistic Responsibility

Do journalists have a duty to truth that can supersede whatever patriotic duty they may have to the nation? This is an important question for America's "war on terrorism" because some argue that journalists shouldn't print or do things that might harm America's image abroad.

The Winter 2002 Wilson Quarterly discusses journalism about the war on terrorism:

Almost from the day hijacked jets crashed into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, most discussion of press coverage has focused on what it means for American reporters to be objective in such a conflict. The debate has had series of defining moments: a teary Dan Rather’s declaration that he stood ready to "line up” behind the commander in chief; Tom Brokaw’s publicized decision not to wear an American flag lapel pin on TV; the offhand statement by ABC News president David Westin that he had “no opinion” on whether the Pentagon was a legitimate military target; and the memo from CNN chair Walter Isaacson telling reporters to balance images of U.S. attacks in Afghanistan with reminders of the assaults that provoked them. [...]

In American Journalism Review (Nov. 2001), former network news correspondent. Deborah Potter writes that while the “TV networks’ “coverage of the attacks and the recovery efforts was generally laudable, the networks’ efforts to explain the ‘why’ and the ‘what next’ seemed feeble by comparison.” Severe cutbacks in foreign coverage since 1989 have left the networks without enough infrastructure and experienced foreign correspondents to explain the wider world to American TV audiences, she says.

Today, the above concerns seem almost quaint — that’s how bad the situation has gotten. We have Rush Limbaugh, for example, saying that a federal judge has sided with the enemies of America for following the law and ordering the release of pictures of America's abuse of prisoners to journalists. Other conservatives have made similar statements and the same condemnations would extend to any journalist who pursued the truth in these matters.

For people like this, journalists don’t have a responsibility to tell the American people the truth — the truth about what America is doing, about what America has done, and about why others around the world might not like America’s actions. By implication, this means that these conservatives don’t believe that the American people should know the truth — that they should accept what the government tells them, even if it is a lie.

Democracy is based upon the idea that the people should have the ultimate power; political power, however, cannot exist in a vacuum of ignorance. People can only exercise their political power when they are adequately informed. By denying that the American people can or should learn the truth about what is going on, these conservatives are ultimately attacking the foundations of democracy itself. One effect is that those in charge who do know the truth are able to maintain their status on the basis of keeping the people ignorant.

 

Quick Poll: Should journalists report unpleasant facts, even if it makes America look bad?

1. Yes, they have a duty to the truth and we deserve the truth
2. No, America's image must be protected against enemy propaganda
3. I don't know
4. I don't care

Click an option to vote, or View Current Poll Results

 

Read More:

• War and Morality
• War on Terrorism
• News on Free Speech and Civil Liberties