Ethics: Legislature DeLay's First Strike
DeLay gutted House ethics provisions to enable lobbyists to cater better meals for members' offices. He ended the need for a congressional vote to raise the debt ceiling.
The majority leader's new House rules offer a vivid preview of his version of democracy. These rules have received very little media attention. Perhaps Tom DeLay's reputation as a lobbyist-hugging right winger have rendered his actions too predictable to deserve ink -- there's no shock factor left. Unfortunately, though, he's now one of the most powerful people in the country and the press should take him to task. Putting these new rules on the books was his first gesture. It took him less than a day. Imagine what the next two years will bring.
· No Shock Factor Left [Tom Paine]
Ethics: Media Weighing The Costs of a Scoop
How a Sniper Story Trapped the Press in an Ethical No-Man's Land
It’s quiz time.
Question 1. Which of the following constitutes an ethical dilemma in journalism?
a. Reporter Bob fabricates a story about an eyewitness to one of October 2002’s sniper attacks near Washington, D.C.
b. Competing reporter Carol plagiarizes Bob’s fabrication.
c. Sniper beat reporter Ted sleeps with his intern, Alice, and sends her to accept his weekly payoff from the cops.
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
· Dilemmas [CJR]
Time magazine names three whistleblowers Persons of the Year
Time and time again we get a proof that every culture needs to recognise on daily basis that democracy is a danerous business. After all, we come across cowboys in many executive positions and legislative carreers have seen rise and rise of rainbows spotted with shady characters.
Rowley, Cooper and Watkins said some colleagues now hate them for exposing the mistakes of their bosses. 'There is a price to be paid. There have been times that I could not stop crying,' Cooper said.
I recommend that the names of these characters appear on boards of key government oversight bodies.
· There is a Right Price to be Paid: From FBI to EnWrong [Time Magazine via my city blog]
