Code of Ethics for Journalists...

[k4whore]

I have to tell you that one of the things that annoys me to no end, is when you arrive on the scence to talk to a family after a horrific event, and another Television station has been there before you, and they have told the family "Don't talk to anyone else." I don't know what code of Ethics is expected of the reporters at Fox25 in Oklahoma City, a Fox reporter that was in Okfuskee County Sunday certainly isn't following the same journalistic standards I was always taught to follow.

[Another OMB]

I'm hearing more and more of that. It surprises me that the interview subjects agree to it.

I can see why the station does it. They get to trumpet their "exclusive interview". But I think it's pretty low to manipulate the interview subjects like that.

If you get a real exclusive because you've dug something up, or you've enterprised the story--great. But I don't see how someone sleeps at night knowing that the only reason they got an "exclusive" is because they happened to get in touch with someone first and then lied to the interview subject by saying, "Oh, you can't talk to anyone else", or even "Please don't talk to anyone else".

Don't the people ask, "Why not?" And if they do, what do these "reporters" say, I wonder?

[Another side]

What "journalistic standard" is being breached?

It was never my way ... but if a reporter wants to say, "Thanks for speaking with us; I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't talk to anyone else until after our story runs," then I see nothing wrong with that. And if the folks don't want to honor that request, I see nothing wrong with THAT either.

Personally, I'd have been too embarrassed to say something like that, but I understand the compeitive nature of news-gathering and if someone wants to attempt to get a theoretical leg up by asking for the subjects' cooperation, I see no violation of ethics or "journalistic standards."

[ISTHISTHINGON?]

I busted a reporter in my market telling an interviewee 'they couldn't talk to another station until after the 6pm'. This coming from the interviewee....who told me station XXXX said it was against the law to speak to another station if they contacted the subject first.
That's unethical.
(when I asked the reporter about it....she said their ND told them to say it)

[Another side]

... it's a bald-faced lie.

[!]

I have to tell you that one of the things that annoys me to no end, is when you arrive on the scence to talk to a family after a horrific event, and another Television station has been there before you, and they have told the family "Don't talk to anyone else." I don't know what code of Ethics is expected of the reporters at Fox25 in Oklahoma City, a Fox reporter that was in Okfuskee County Sunday certainly isn't following the same journalistic standards I was always taught to follow.

There's nothing especially wrong with this, unless you're the reporter who gets to the person after the other guys already did the interview.

[TVMattNYC]

Oh please.

This happens all the time at the network level, particularly with the morning "news" shows.

The only difference is that at our level, it often involves flights, limos, hotel rooms, and fruit baskets.

[Another side]

As in, "We'll give you this tasty, healthy fruit basket if you promise not to speak to the competition until after our story has aired"?

Or, to the competition, "If you go near this story before mine runs in the morning, I'm going the stuff the contents of this fruit basket up your ..."?

[TVNewsSpy]

What "journalistic standard" is being breached?

It was never my way ... but if a reporter wants to say, "Thanks for speaking with us; I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't talk to anyone else until after our story runs," then I see nothing wrong with that. And if the folks don't want to honor that request, I see nothing wrong with THAT either.

Personally, I'd have been too embarrassed to say something like that, but I understand the compeitive nature of news-gathering and if someone wants to attempt to get a theoretical leg up by asking for the subjects' cooperation, I see no violation of ethics or "journalistic standards."

You said it best.

[TVNewsSpy]

I have to tell you that one of the things that annoys me to no end, is when you arrive on the scence to talk to a family after a horrific event, and another Television station has been there before you, and they have told the family "Don't talk to anyone else." I don't know what code of Ethics is expected of the reporters at Fox25 in Oklahoma City, a Fox reporter that was in Okfuskee County Sunday certainly isn't following the same journalistic standards I was always taught to follow.

Sounds like you got scooped by the FOX25 reporter and are looking for a competition-bashing excuse to tell the ND.

[miss hap]

There's a difference between asking for a courtesy to refrain from talking (which is nose despite the face considering the larger context of journalism is to inform the public) to competition --- and telling people they *can't* talk to competition, which is lying.