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Article: Where we went wrong. (media coverage of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal) (includes related article on the Dallas Morning News)(Cover Story)
- Article from:
- Columbia Journalism Review
- Article date:
- March 1, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In the sex scandal story that has cast a cloud over the president, Bill Clinton does not stand to be the only loser. No matter how it turns out, another will be the American news media, whose reputation as truth-teller to the country has been besmirched by perceptions, in and out of the news business, about how the story has been reported.
The indictment is too sweeping. Many news outlets have acted with considerable responsibility, especially after the first few frantic days, considering the initial public pressure for information, the burden of obtaining much of it from sealed documents in legal proceedings and criminal investigations, and the stonewalling of ...