Is there enough of a direct dialogue between the publics intermediary — the news media — and the governments gatekeepers of information?
We’ve done a much better job recently shining the spotlight on access. The high-profile cases where journalists have been thrown in jail or threatened with jail put the issue on the front page. The courts’ attitudes are unmistakably chilly. We’ve got a lot of work to get the public behind us. Q: Do the news media have clear guidelines, that the public should be aware of, for when it should bring to light a government-access problem or when to work behind the scenes with federal, state or local authorities to resolve a complex issue? A: We routinely hold information until we can be sure of its accuracy, value or context. I don’t think we’ve explained to the public how hard we work to be sure. Of course, each mistake undermines our credibility. The guidelines on when to publish or when to wait should be clear within each organization and communicated when appropriate to the public. We must fight the accuracy battle each day with every word we write. Q: How does new technology affect the
