President-elect Barack Obama did his best to distance himself from the spectacular public drama playing out in his home town yesterday, refusing to talk about the indictment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich during his only public appearance outside his Chicago transition offices. Full Story »
Posted by Michael Bugeja
Editors at NewsTrust recently have been discussing the difference between fair and balanced. This news report about alleged criminal activity by Illinois Gov. Blagojevich distinguishes the difference between the two journalism concepts. Those who advocate politically for Obama may believe this story has little merit; however, fairness dictates that it must be reported to state for the record that no improper ties to the President-elect have been found. Some Republicans are trying to make this a major news story, but their "facts"--Obama's 2006 endorsement of Blagojevich, for instance--are relegated to the end of the story, putting that on record but in its proper minor place in the article.
But that didn’t stop Republicans from trying to use the Blagojevich news to highlight the governor’s past ties to Obama. The Republican National Committee circulated a memo to reporters noting that the president-elect had “advised” Blagojevich and endorsed him for a second term.
Here is an example of a paragraph attempting to spin the story, appropriately relegated to a less prominent place in the report (toward the end). Some outlets lead with that.
The Washington Post continues to set the standard for fair-minded journalism.