When it comes to Sarah Palin, I think it's safe that say that there's no shortage of outrage and drama. From her teen mom daughter, to her claims to be able to see Russia from her backyard, and her down-and-dirty animal hunting ways on her TLC reality show, Palin has been surrounded by what seems to be an incessant cloud of critique and opposition. But recently, her name has been slightly absent from the mouths of her critics...cue the next Sarah scandal.
The National Enquirer (not necessarily journalism at its finest) has released reports that Sarah Palin and former Miami Heat player Glen Rice, had a shocking "one-night stand" back in 1987, along with a whole string of nasty allegations of cocaine use and adultery. And while we know that the National Enquirer isn't exactly the most reputable source, our question of journalism ethics lies in the fact that the Miami Herald has chosen to publish the same story.
Herald Reporter, Armando Salguero, has made it quite clear that he disapproves of his colleagues decision to run the story. Here's what he had to say (via Poynter):
Do we know this story to be TRUE? Are we certain it is TRUE because we’ve done the work or have a reasonable certainty that is TRUE?
Did anyone actually try to confirm this story before giving it Herald front page credibility? Did anyone call Glenn Rice to get independent confirmation? He lives in Miami, you know.
Is it now OK to repeat any “report” from the National Enquirer on the front page of the Herald’s website without actually reporting even one fact independently? The blog calls The Enquirer’s sources “solid.” …
If this Rice story, unconfirmed and unreported by us, can be published on our site, do the alien stories not meet the same standards?The Miami Herald certainly seems to be walking a fine line between honest reporting and tabloid journalism. While we might expect a story of this nature to pop up in the National Enquirer, I know I was surprised to see that it had made it into the Herald.
Is it ethical to report a story that at its core, is nothing more than a rumor? The story is clearly capable of, and probably well on its way to harming Sarah Palin's reputation. Does that mean that the journalists didn't consider her well-being...certainly their loyalties don't lie with Palin.
My initial reaction: I agree with Salguero, the Miami Herald's decision to publish something of this nature is questionable...and I'm leaning towards unethical. What are your thoughts?
It gets, as they say, complicated. The "rumor" originated with Joe McGinniss's new book on Palin that has yet to be published - or has just been published - but some of its juicier rumors have been circulated prematurely. I will make two tired points: 1) That little tidbit will be all over the net even if the "serious" news media ignore it. 2) Poor sad "serious" newspapers are sliding under the waves, and fastidious ethics will produce a fine sentiment for their gravestones. That said, it would be instructive to see if the "prestige" newspapers (NY Times, WashPost, LATimes, WSJ) published this tidbit. And one of the reporters in your piece made a nice point: You really should call the athlete in question up - though .... I suddenly have a half memory that I read or was told that McGinniss called him up. Okay, let's check. Good post.
ReplyDeleteApparently, McGinniss did talk to Rice. If Rice said what it is reported that he said to McGinniss - that's a lot of layers - by implication he confirmed the assignation.
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