Reporting on the News Media

Journalists spoke to students about ethical controversies in the news media and in “When the Media Become the Story.” Among the topics they addressed were news stories in recent weeks about how CBS News had dealt with the controversy surrounding a 60 Minutes II report on President Bush’s National Guard Service. Four members of the news division were asked to resign, and Dan Rather, who presented the report on air, came under heavy criticism himself. Another case was the revelation that some columnists (most prominently, Armstrong Williams) had received money from the federal government while at the same time writing about issues directly related to specific public policy. close