SHORT PROJECT

SHORT PROJECT
Power of the Press: Using Confidential Sources
Considering Current and Historic Examples

Nineteenth-century historian Thomas Carlyle referred to the British Parliament’s reporters’ gallery as the fourth estate. He was describing the power of the written word in fulfilling the important role of guarding democracy and defending public interest. There is no question that the press is still a powerful entity in modern American society. Some argue that the American media have truly become the fourth branch of government, keeping the executive, legislative, and judicial branches in check. Others are concerned that the press has become too self-important and now undermines the efficacy of the government when, among its many practices, it withholds sources.

This is a great topic for debate and discussion. You will prepare for it by assessing instances in which journalists have relied upon government sources and how important it was to their reporting to keep their sources’ identities confidential.

In your groups, check out the one of the following sources:


1) Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s reliance on Deep Throat as a confidential source in reporting on the Watergate scandal U.S.News & World Report, “Out of the Shadows” (June 13, 2005) <<http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/050613/13deep.htm>>

2) New York Times reporter Judith Miller’s refusal to name the source who revealed the identity of undercover CIA agent Valeria Plame
U.S.News & World Report, “Jail Time Likely for Journalists” (June 27, 2005) <<http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/050627/27miller.htm>>
U.S.News & World Report, “A Murky Case Takes a Bizarre Twist” (July 18, 2005) <<http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/050718/18press.htm>>

3) New York Times reporter Tim Golden’s reliance upon confirmed and named sources in reporting on the treatment of Guantánamo Bay detainees
Columbia Journalism Review, “Tim Golden on Digging Deep, Timing, and Sourcing” (May 27, 2005) <http://www.cjrdaily.org/archives/001553.asp>


Questions you should be answering in your presentation


 What was the story the journalist(s) was (were) reporting?
 Why did the journalist(s) rely upon government sources to complete the story?
 How did the journalist(s) treat the sources? Why?
 How important was the treatment of sources to the public response to the story?
 What was the official government response to the story?
 Do students agree or disagree with the reporters’ decisions regarding how they handled their sources?