Lehrer has been one of the most respected names in journalism for decades. His life experiences are vast, his beginnings were humble, but most importantly, he is one of the most trusted names in journalism. I heard him speak at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall last Friday night.
The high points of Lehrer's lecture, Politics and Principals, were his definitions and guidelines for journalism. These principals upon which he has built his career are indicative of his exceptional values and he comes off as a genuinely well-intentioned man.
Lehrer's guidelines for Macneil/Lehrer journalism can be found here and are as follows:
* Do nothing I cannot defend.
* Cover, write and present every story with the care I would want if the story were about me.
* Assume there is at least one other side or version to every story.
* Assume the viewer is as smart and as caring and as good a person as I am.
* Assume the same about all people on whom I report.
* Assume personal lives are a private matter, until a legitimate turn in the story absolutely mandates otherwise.
* Carefully separate opinion and analysis from straight news stories, and clearly label everything.
* Do not use anonymous sources or blind quotes, except on rare and monumental occasions.
* No one should ever be allowed to attack another anonymously.
* And, finally, I am not in the entertainment business.
All of these guidelines demonstrate Lehrer's desire to either, treat others the way he would also want to be treated, provide fair, straight news, or report multiple sides to a story so multiple views are represented.
Lehrer's lecture's other high point is his belief that the news is separated into three groups: straight news, analysis, and commentary. According to Lehrer, the problems that our news organizations are currently facing stem from these three distinct groups blending together.
Lehrer's 90 minute presentation was exceptional and I would recommend both hearing Lehrer speak and the World Affairs Council that hosted him and many others.
No comments:
Post a Comment