GEORGE BEVERIDGE A QUESTION OF ETHICS IN REPORTING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01314R000300400016-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 26, 2004
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: January 12, 1976
• Content Type: NSPR

George Bev ig d F.
What's a reporter's obli ethics, of fairness, clearly
gation to identify himself or. :, is involved here, and the in-
pursuing a news story?
Put another way, when is
the source of a news story
entitled to know he is talk-
ing to a reporter and th6t
es in repo
g
differently than they ap-.' identify. himself was no struggle w
preach private individuals grave offense (indeed, what tion. None
and their purely personal he got from the dealers as a anywhere.-
to identify themselves to lives, Thus newspapers had "customer" seems to me The Un
news sources are exceed- no qualms about publishing about what he would have claim a vic
ingly rare. Apart from the accidental bugging of got as a reporter), the ter of' "at
ethics, in fact, such identi- Henry Kissinger's dinner- public-interest stakes this time," whic
fications ' nearly always table conversation in Cana- .time probably didn't justify year ago. If
what he says may wind up help, not hinder, news gath- da a few months ago when a the predictable reaction of .'triumph in
in print? Always? Some- ering. Ina vast majority of mike plugged into the press- betrayal from the news masters of
times? Or what? cases, no purpose whatever room inadvertently was left sources, trenched.. i
The questions arose -in is servedrby failing to do so. open. But reporting the re-. That's lvlanday.morning swamps, n
connection with a challenge suits of eavesdropping on a quarterbacking of course, never. ;quit
to The Star's handling of a- which t newspaper se titre personalconrersation be? and it s easy^ ci' } it
aiscussi0n. as to how the deliberate editorial udg- neavw,cug... w t71G yu' .1c1
? --11-J., _-_-' concerned -is certainly'
press operates in.this deli. ?n
d
est. and.. possibly some ? porters identity is the only