This paper discusses ethics in investigative reporting through Woodward & Bernstein’s All the President’s Men (if you haven’t read this book, you need to). It’s not so good as the last one I posted, but does provide an interesting glimpse into some of the tactics of investigative journalism if you’ve yet to read the book or have forgotten it.

Ethical Boundaries in Investigative Reporting

Watergate. It is a name whose meaning stretches far beyond a luxury Washington hotel. It is a name of scandal, crime, and cover-up. It is a name that changed a generation. It is a name that destroyed a President. And so it may dishearten some to consider that Watergate’s new meaning was revealed to us through incredibly unethical investigative reporting. Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward were arguably directly responsible for the Watergate investigations and most certainly played an instrumental role in keeping the incident in the public consciousness. Yet in their book All the President’s Men they portray their own investigation as fraught with moral lapses. And while they admitted to having private doubts, they continued on because it is sometimes acceptable for investigative journalists to be morally flexible.
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