Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal News Blogs -> Lawbeat

OR PHONE (866) 635-1838 for Bankruptcy Help, (866) 635-6190 for Divorce,
(866) 635-2689 for Personal Injury or (866) 635-9402 for Criminal Defense

Find a Local Lawyer

Bankruptcy (866) 635-1838
Divorce (866) 635-6190
Personal Injury (866) 635-2689
Criminal Defense (866) 635-9402

Legal News

: Lawbeat

Kristof's readers write a valuable P.S.

By Mark Obbie

ADVERTISEMENTS

When I praised Nick Kristof for the way he handled his Steven Hatfill apology, I promised to revisit the public comments on his column. And they're worth everyone's time. On a single day, before the Times closed the discussion, the board filled with 149 comments that remind me why we journalists need more direct exposure to our readers. Too often, I and others dismiss the public conversation as useless noise. Certainly there are many dismal examples to support that. But this thread supports the opposite notion: that our readers can be thoughtful and can provide much different perspective on what we thought we knew when we published a piece of reporting or commentary. The comments cover a wide range: Gratitude and respect for Kristof's humility and for his hypotheticals that illuminated tough ethical decisions. Disdain for arrogant or ignorant journalists. Healthy skepticism for, or trust in, law enforcement -- and wildly extreme doses of both. Not everyone appreciates the journalist's impulse to reveal details from a criminal investigation, as explained in this thoughtful post:

As some commenters have pointed out, the Times & other respected media outlets too often have erred on one side or the other when it comes to what is fit to print.Writing as a person who once had a comparatively minor "Richard Jewell moment," I can tell you there is little that is more unsettling than being suspected of a crime one did not commit, especially when the suspicion was created by a (in my case very slightly) heroic act -- in some ways, I imagine it is worse than being caught for having actually committed a crime.To have that suspicion made public, to be known in the public arena only as "a person of interest" would be mortifying & life-altering.

And many took issue with Kristof's quotation of the old muckraker's creed, put most succinctly in this post:

"The job of the news media is supposed to be to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted." [Quoting Kristof's column]NO, that is NOT the job of news media. The job is to report news. That construction presupposes the "comfortable" are blameworthy and responsible for the "afflicted". It presupposes the "afflicted" are blameless victims, not responsible for their plight.

The most valuable theme: smart readers refusing to buy everything Kristof asserts as true, and discussing important issues in a civil tone. Too many journalists ignore the existence of such readers, and reading the comments will help us keep them in mind as we do our work.

Full post as published by Lawbeat on September 04, 2008 (boomark / email).