Ethics

Verizon & IDI 'Rent' Gray Panthers to Attack WorldCom

by John Stauber — June 19, 2003 - 11:00pm

"What seemed to be a groundswell of protest materialized last week when WorldCom Inc. lawyers arrived at federal court for a hearing on whether the company's agreement to pay a $500 million fine was sufficient punishment for its mammoth fraud. ... Outside the courthouse, a small group of demonstrators rallied" including the Gray Panthers. "The outpouring, though, was hardly spontaneous. Several of the opponents, including protest organizers and petitioners, had ties to Issue Dynamics Inc.

Main Source: 
Washington Post, June 20, 2003

Stonewalling the Arms Inspectors

by Sheldon Rampton — June 16, 2003 - 11:00pm

Senator Carl Levin, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has publicly challenged the CIA's handling of information about alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. "Why did the CIA say that they had provided detailed information to the UN inspectors on all of the high and medium suspect sites with the UN, when they had not?" Levin asked. "Did the CIA act in this way in order not to undermine administration policy? Was there another explanation for this? ...

Main Source: 
BBC, June 17, 2003

Not Counting the Dead

by Sheldon Rampton — June 12, 2003 - 11:00pm

Derrick Z. Jackson examines the "numbing prattle" from US military officials "about the precision of our weaponry, precaution to avoid needless carnage, and promises to investigate possible mistakes." During the war, officials said pledged investigations into civilian casualties, but are now admitting that the "investigations" were never conducted. A recent Associated Press report counted more than 3,000 civilian deaths.

Main Source: 
Boston Globe, June 13, 2003

Feeding the Rage

by Laura Miller — May 30, 2003 - 6:27pm

In a candid interview about being a conservative reporter, Weekly Standard senior writer Matt Labash explained to JournalismJobs.com why conservative media has become so popular. "Because they feed the rage," Labash said. "We bring the pain to the liberal media. I say that mockingly, but it's true somewhat. We come with a strong point of view and people like point of view journalism. While all these hand-wringing Freedom Forum types talk about objectivity, the conservative media likes to rap the liberal media on the knuckles for not being objective.

Main Source: 
Journalismjobs.com, May 2003

Company Paid Doctors to Promote Drug

by John Stauber — May 29, 2003 - 11:00pm

"Documents released yesterday in the case of a drug company
whistle-blower shed light on how extensively doctors were
involved in promoting unapproved uses of a Warner-Lambert
drug, Neurontin. Warner-Lambert paid dozens of doctors tens of thousands of dollars each to speak to other physicians about how Neurontin, an epilepsy drug, could be prescribed for more
than a dozen other medical uses that had not been approved
by the Food and Drug Administration. The top speaker for
Neurontin, Dr. B. J.

Main Source: 
New York Times, May 30, 2003

Stossel's Political Promotion

by Sheldon Rampton — May 22, 2003 - 11:00pm

John Stossel has been promoted to co-anchor of ABC's 20/20 TV program. According to a source within the network, "These are conservative times... the network wants somebody to match the times." Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) points to Stossel's history of "bungled facts and twisted logic" and asks if "a record of credible and accurate reporting" shouldn't be more important than "matching the perceived political climate."

Main Source: 
FAIR/Extra!, May 23, 2003

White House Denies Conflict Of Interest

by Laura Miller — May 11, 2003 - 11:00pm

When George W. Bush visited the Santa Clara production facility of United Defense last week, most reports focused on Bush's praise for the company and its products. What wasn't covered was that the maker of the Bradley fighting vehicle and the Hercules tank recovery vehicle is controlled by the Carlyle Group and that George H.W. Bush is a paid adviser to United Defense. The Corporate Crime Reporter writes that the White House denied any impropriety in Bush Jr.'s visit to the plant.

Main Source: 
Corporate Crime Reporter, May 12, 2003

The Blair Affair

by Sheldon Rampton — May 10, 2003 - 11:00pm

The New York Times has published a detailed account of the deceptions perpetrated by African-American reporter Jayson Blair, who plagiarized other journalists' work and fabricated details of stories about topics including the DC sniper and the war in Iraq. The Blair scandal has prompted speculation that affirmative action got him special newsroom treatment on account of his race.

Main Source: 
New York Times, May 11, 2003

CNN's Aaron Brown Backs Out of Video 'News' Show

by John Stauber — May 7, 2003 - 11:00pm

In response to an article by Melody Petersen in the New York Times, "CNN said yesterday that Aaron Brown, its nighttime news anchor, would not go forward with plans to become host of a series of corporate-sponsored videos that look like news and are broadcast on public television stations. ... A Boca Raton, Fla., production company, WJMK, recently hired Mr. Brown and Walter Cronkite, the former CBS News anchor, to serve as the hosts of a program called the American Medical Review.

Main Source: 
New York Times, May 8, 2003

Prime Time Liar

by Sheldon Rampton — May 6, 2003 - 11:00pm

Stephen Glass, the writer who was fired five years ago for fabricating facts in his stories, has declined to speak publicly about the incident - until now. This Sunday, "60 Minutes" will feature an interview with Glass, who is promoting a novel about his frauds, titled The Fabulist. "Glass uses only one real name - his own - in a fictionalized treatment of how he bamboozled the world as a 25-year-old New Republic writer who always seemed to have the most colorful scenes and the most perfect quotes," writes Howard Kurtz.

Main Source: 
Washington Post, May 7, 2003
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