The press pool, established in reaction to the ban of press coverage during the 1983 invasion of Grenada, was escorted to Panama City hours after the action began and prevented by their military escorts from covering the action. The end of 1990 finds the press severely limited in covering the story of U.S. military action in Saudi Arabia. Despite recent training in governmental duplicity in Grenada, Libya and Panama, journalists seem all too willing to accept the Pentagon's version as the truth. It's easy to list examples of journalistic irresponsibility or lack of restraint because they stand out against a background of thousands of examples of journalists doing their jobs. On the other hand, we hear about extraordinarily good examples of journalism throughout the year, as they are remembered with Pulitzer Prizes, Peabodys, Overseas Press Awards, and hundreds of regional and local news media citations.
Mistakes are easy to forget.
They are too easy to repeat. Consulting editor Deni Elliott is director of the Ethics Institute, Dartmouth College. The Newsletter On Journalism Ethics, vol. Reprinted with the permission of Billy Goat Strut Publishing. This case may be reproduced for classroom and research purposes.