[Leica] Integrity is the first casualty

[imagist3 at mac.com (Lottermoser George)]

So we have a chain of integrity to deal with:
        The journalist
        The editor
        The publisher
each needs to give more of a s**t
about integrity
than fortune or fame
in order for the masses
(who mostly don't give a s**t)
to get anywhere
near a clear report.

Regards,
George Lottermoser
george@imagist.com



On Apr 18, 2007, at 4:36 PM, Walt Johnson wrote:

> Is it possible to have a real discussion concerning journalistic  
> integrity? It has nothing, I think,  to do with moving a cup on a  
> table or beefing up smoke from a bombed out building. Now, if your  
> assigned to do a story on people dying from too much coffee then  
> the cup may have some significance but other than that?
> Integrity was put to sleep with the advent of corporate journalism.  
> Ask anyone who's worked for Gannett, for instance. Given a choice  
> between integrity and losing an advertiser which way do you think  
> the scales would tip?
>
> I keep coming back to the Lebanon event. The Israelis blew the hell  
> out of the city but the big issue was *TOO MUCH SMOKE*?  Who asked  
> how many innocent victims were being blown to bits? (aside from  
> those agency shooters who risk it all) The issue became smoke, not  
> death by gunship. In almost 30 years of shooting  news event I'm  
> left remembering one case of real integrity. The managing editor of  
> a very major daily quit rather than sacrifice his integrity. I'm  
> sure many of those on the LUG who have worked in the field can  
> remember similar events.  The real problem with journalistic  
> integrity is that it is almost nonexistent. Issues of news coverage  
> are placed on the back burner  when advertising rears its greedy head.
>
> We may do our best  while in the field but unless issues of  
> integrity are firmly nailed to the wall of the newsroom? I've often  
> wondered about Leni Riefenstahl and her fantastic work. Did she  
> lack integrity because her work became symbolic of the Nazi  
> regime?  Most would condemn her but what about the excellent  
> shooters doing similar work now in places like Wash. D.C., London,  
> Iraq, etc.  How often do embedded journalists go  against the grain?