[Infowarrior] - NBC, CNN blasted for checkbook journalism

[Richard Forno]

NBC blasted for checkbook journalism on David Goldman story —
  December, 28 2009 4:37 PM

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2009/12/nbc-blasted-for-checkbook-journalism-on-david-goldman-story.html

NBC’s interview with David Goldman has drawn a scathing review from  
the Society of Professional Journalists’ Ethics Committee.
The panel says it’s “appalled” because NBC News chartered a plane for  
Goldman and his son, Sean, to fly from Brazil to the United States.  
They were reunited after a five-year custody battle, and they arrived  
in Orlando on Christmas Eve. In paying for the plane, NBC News engaged  
in “checkbook journalism,” the Ethics Committee says.

The journalists’ group has a code of ethics that urges reporters to  
refrain from bidding for news.

“The public could rightly assume that NBC News bought exclusive  
interviews and images, as well as the family’s loyalty, with an  
extravagant gift,” Ethics Committee Chairman Andy Schotz said.

In a statement, NBC News said: “The Goldmans were invited on a jet NBC  
News chartered to fly home to the U.S. on Thursday, December 24. NBC  
News has followed this story since the Goldmans’ story first ran on  
Dateline nearly one year ago — David Goldman since has appeared on  
Today seventeen times.  NBC News has not and will not pay for an  
interview.”

With its lavish gesture to the Goldmans, NBC News helped create the  
news and jeopardized its credibility, the SPJ Ethics Committee said.

“Mixing financial and promotional motives with an impartial search for  
truth stains honest, ethical reporting,” Schotz said. “Checkbook  
journalism has no place in the news business.”

The journalists’ group is urging NBC News to show some transparency on  
the story. Meredith Vieira interviewed David Goldman on “Today” this  
morning. More of the interview will be seen in a two-hour “Dateline”  
at 8 p.m. Jan. 8.

 From the beginning, NBC News has disclosed that it invited the  
Goldman family on the flight.

“NBC must now, belatedly, explain why it entangled its news reporting  
and corporate interests in this story, as well as the terms of any  
deal it made with the Goldman family,” Schotz said. “NBC also is  
ethically bound to adequately disclose its active role in the story in  
each of its future reports on the Goldmans.”

The Ethics Committee critique arrived after it was reported that CNN  
paid a licensing fee to Jasper Schuringa, the hero of Northwest Flight  
253 who subdued a Nigerian man determined to blow up the plane. CNN  
paid for a cell phone image — and thus landed Schuringa for an  
exclusive interview.

The Web site Mediaite.com reported,”There’s a reason Schuringa has not  
appeared any further on CNN or any other network – we hear he has  
asked for additional payment for any future interviews.”

Many viewers have been appalled by fees that TV news organizations  
have paid for photographs and footage in the Casey Anthony case. The  
networks say they are not paying for interviews by paying the fees.  
But many observers have been infuriated that the Anthony family seems  
to be profiting from the death of a child, 2-year-old Caylee Anthony.

The Goldman story is an uplifting one, but paying for access is still  
paying for news.  When money changes hands, that gives the appearance  
of compromising the reporting.

There should be one standard in journalism. No matter if the story is  
happy or tragic, checkbook journalism is wrong.