Chris Hedges: Why Israel Lies

[Uncle Joe]

15. The De-Facto American rules of journalism that Chuck Todd openly acknowledged.

http://www.fair.org/blog/2013/09/18/inform-the-public-not-my-job-says-chuck-todd/

Appearing on MSNBC's Morning Joe today (9/18/13), Todd responded to Ed Rendell's claim that Obamacare opponents are full of misinformation about the program by explaining that this was because Republicans "have successfully messaged against it." But wasn't journalism's job to expose misinformation? No, Todd insisted; if the public was misinformed about the Affordable Care Act, it was the president's fault for not pushing back:

What I always love is people say, "Well, it's you folks' fault in the media." No, it's the president of the United States' fault for not selling it.

It's sad that NBC's White House correspondent thinks his job is merely to convey politicians pronouncements, with no care about whether they are true or false. In fact, scrutinizing claims, particularly those from powerful officials, is an essential part of journalism. It's embarrassing to have to cite elementary principles to one the nation's most influential reporters, but Todd should consider reviewing the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics, where, under the heading "Seek Truth and Report It," the very first tenet implores journalists to "test the accuracy of information from all sources."

Todd isn't alone among influential journalists claiming that factchecking sources is outside their job purview. In 2004, NPR's Ron Elving declared that journalism was incapable of calling out the lies about John Kerry's military record spread by the Swift Boat Veteran's for Truth, claiming: "There is no way that journalism can satisfy those who think that Kerry is a liar or that Swift Boat Veterans for Truth are liars." Journalists' throwing up their hands when it came to the distortion of Kerry's military record may have determined the outcome of the 2004 election.

(snip)

More on link.