Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Absolute, no

Even though I have pointed out problems in the media system and made fun of it, I still feel it is a worthwhile profession that can do much good for the American people. As such, I argue vehemently against the forced reveal of confidential sources, and generally uphold the media as a good and needed institution.

However, I do not feel the media is perfect, and here's a case in point (from Eschaton).

This paper went far beyond any claims of journalistic standards, and revealed a lot of information that not only added nothing to the story, but marked the plaintiff for anyone who feels the "need" to take issue with his lawsuit. Just imagine if this had been a rape victim, or a witness in a trial. I don't think the paper would have printed it then. And I am willing to bet that when it covers local celebrities or businessmen, it doesn't print pictures of their license plate (altho to be fair, had there been no other information given, I may have been able to see this as part of the story), or the make and location of their houses. There's a word for this - harassment. Doing it under the cover of journalism in no way hides the stench.

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