And while the public claims not to care about this story, and complains that it's been overdone, newspaper sales and ratings bumped up substantially. Not at all. But it makes it more difficult for journalists to hold the line the next time. The fallout from this story could still do some good, however, if it causes us to revisit the guiding principles of good journalism. Competition and technology should not change the basic values in American newsrooms.
Journalists still seek the truth.
They resist outside influences. They consider the consequences of what they report. Perhaps the best we can hope for is not a public display of media guilt, but a private commitment to mend the shredded standards in our newsrooms.