[Leica] Integrity is the first casualty

[walt at waltjohnson.com (Walt Johnson)]

Is it possible to have a real discussion concerning journalistic 
integrity? It has nothing, I think,  to do with moving a cup on a table 
or beefing up smoke from a bombed out building. Now, if your assigned to 
do a story on people dying from too much coffee then the cup may have 
some significance but other than that? 

Integrity was put to sleep with the advent of corporate journalism. Ask 
anyone who's worked for Gannett, for instance. Given a choice between 
integrity and losing an advertiser which way do you think the scales 
would tip?

I keep coming back to the Lebanon event. The Israelis blew the hell out 
of the city but the big issue was *TOO MUCH SMOKE*?  Who asked how many 
innocent victims were being blown to bits? (aside from those agency 
shooters who risk it all) The issue became smoke, not death by gunship. 
In almost 30 years of shooting  news event I'm left remembering one case 
of real integrity. The managing editor of a very major daily quit rather 
than sacrifice his integrity. I'm sure many of those on the LUG who have 
worked in the field can remember similar events.  The real problem with 
journalistic integrity is that it is almost nonexistent. Issues of news 
coverage are placed on the back burner  when advertising rears its 
greedy head.

We may do our best  while in the field but unless issues of integrity 
are firmly nailed to the wall of the newsroom? I've often wondered about 
Leni Riefenstahl and her fantastic work. Did she lack integrity because 
her work became symbolic of the Nazi regime?  Most would condemn her but 
what about the excellent shooters doing similar work now in places like 
Wash. D.C., London, Iraq, etc.  How often do embedded journalists go  
against the grain?

One thing is certain. To get the the heart of this matter we need to 
poke B.D. with a stick. He will know more than the rest of us combined. 
Not only that, he can put it into words. :-)