Stoll is correct

Reader comment on: Entrapping NPR

Submitted by Christopher Mc (United States), Mar 10, 2011 10:14

As someone who has worked in major-market media for more than two decades, both print and broadcast, I can assure you that every mainstream news organization bans this sort of deception. Reporters who falsify their identities would be subject to severe discipline, likely dismissal. This is elemental ethics stuff.

So I'm not sure what incidents Kindwarrior and John Hines think they're recollecting, exactly. I think maybe the public just assumes these techniques are typically used by the media -- no doubt there have been films and TV dramas where it's portrayed that way. But in the real world, it really is the realm of no-no.

If folks want to have an argument about the propriety of such deception, that's all fine and well. What you don't get to say is, "But mainstream media does it too!"


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The Future of Capitalism replies:

I think there's some confusion between hidden camera work, which is widely used, and pretexting/pretending to be someone you're not, which is much more rarely used.

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Other reader comments on this item

Title By Date
A scandal at NYT and WaPo [61 words]DavidMar 10, 2011 16:56
"You can't cheat an honest man" [4 words]2WarAbnVetMar 10, 2011 16:14
⇒ Stoll is correct
[w/response] [136 words]
Christopher McMar 10, 2011 10:14
Food Lion [89 words]DavidMar 10, 2011 16:52
Were you this concerned when 60 Minutes did Ambush Journalism? [19 words]John HinesMar 9, 2011 23:56
Principles [79 words]Rich HandMar 9, 2011 17:49
PROject Veritas, not ProJECT Veritas [84 words]CharlieMar 9, 2011 16:43
Excuse me??? [255 words]KindwarriorMar 9, 2011 13:09
Does it matter? [196 words]Mike KloppelMar 9, 2011 11:54
Oh, it matters a LOT [377 words]Rich MatareseMar 9, 2011 15:18
Entrapping NPR [14 words]PUMABydesign001Mar 9, 2011 09:33
Agreed!
[w/response] [106 words]
SophieMar 9, 2011 09:22
Flipping over the rock [228 words]Rich MatareseMar 9, 2011 00:45
Missing the Point [120 words]jjMar 9, 2011 15:51
Thank you [81 words]JosephCMar 8, 2011 22:46

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