ANONYMOUS AND THE KKK

X
http://www.news-sentinel.com/news/local/Shameful--expose--of-hood-wearing-public-officials-proves-media-have-earned-public-s-mistrust
X
X

By Kevin Leininger, kleininger@news-sentinel.com

Thursday, November 05, 2015 12:01 AM

According to a recent Gallup Poll, just 40 percent of Americans have "a great deal" or even "a fair amount" of trust that the media will report the news accurately and fairly. And we've just seen a perfect example of why that suspicion is not only justified, but healthy.

No, not the recent Republican Republican presidential debate on CNBC. That was merely the latest case of liberal media bias and, besides, anybody who can't withstand a snarky "gotcha" question shouldn't be given the codes to our nukes or left alone in a room with Vladimir Putin.

This case -- shamefully played out on Fort Wayne TV screens -- was actually much worse, exposing not only the pernicious influence of questionable Internet sources but the willingness of supposedly legitimate news outlets to ignore basic journalistic standards that seem to have gone from sacrosanct to obsolete in the relative blink of an eye (trust in the media was as high as 55 percent in the late 1990s).

The first thing reporters learn, or should, is to know and trust the source of the information they disseminate. Two Fort Wayne TV stations this week, however, reported the rumor that two local politicians just might be members of the Ku Klux Klan even though they had no way to verify the source or the veracity of the "news" they were disseminating.

X
Originally attributed to the Internet "hacktivist" group Anonymous, word was that four U.S. senators and five mayors had been involved in the KKK. The fact that a hacker was later identified as the source, and that Anonymous itself repudiated the allegations, is beside the point. The sorry truth is that some media here and elsewhere reported the most flimsy, vile sort of rumor without offering a shred of proof. Right before an election, too.

The fact that the politicians in question issued all the usual denials is also beside the point. Once a hateful but baseless and anonymous accusation is made, how can anyone really refute it -- especially when you can't identify or question the source?

As a spokesman for one of the smeared politicians correctly noted this week, "Unfortunately, several media outlets and online sources gave these baseless allegations credit . . . Regardless of politics, it is sad to see well-meaning public servants disparaged based on lies and misinformation."

Given recent events in the city clerk's office, this issue is especially timely and important. Even when former city Parking Enforcement Supervisor Colin Keeney brought me proof of misconduct in the office, I did not report the story immediately. In the case of both undercover videos, I took days to review their contents and to gather the necessary supporting information and reaction from Keeney and others. On one occasion I rejected a video entirely because it offered conclusions without providing sufficient documentation.

I wasn't overly concerned about anybody's motives or the pre-election timing. I was very concerned about reporting a legitimate story accurately and fairly. The fact that three people have now resigned indicates the videos' worth. But what kind of investigation did those TV stations do before reporting the officials' alleged Klan connection? More to the point, what kind of investigation was even possible, given the lack of access to the source?

Let's be clear: If somebody brought me a video of those same officials burning a cross at a KKK rally, I would pursue the story. But there is now no reason to believe the allegations are true, and many reasons to believe they are false.

So why report them? I could tell you all about media budget cuts, shrinking staffs and added workload from the Internet and the 24-hour news cycle. But if those and other factors are reasons why journalistic corners are cut, they must never be offered as excuses. The public and even our public officials deserve better, and it really is that simple.

No matter how hard some journalists try to make it sound.

This column is the commentary of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The News-Sentinel. Email Kevin Leininger at kleininger@news-sentinel.com or call him at 461-8355.
X
X
X