Today I listened to part of a Minnesota Public Radio talk show as I was returning from a meeting and it me disturbed for two reasons:
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The person being interviewed and responding to callers is a local attorney with a blog.
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The topic was the controversy surrounding The New York Times story about SWIFT, the financial tracking being done in the name of “fighting terrorism.”
First, the blogger — even though I am now engaged in a blog, I am bothered by the mantle of authority some bloggers assume. This individual actually told one caller his question was stupid and told another he wouldn’t respond to the question because it wasn’t worth answering. The host was remarkable in his ability to manage such a caustic guest.
Second, the discussion as it was directed by the attorney was very much focused on faulting the media. He would not acknowledge that the person leaking information has some serious ethical issues.
My challenge to our readers — what do you see as the ethical issues on both sides? How do we manage those who get joy in leaking information? How should the media respond when they are clearly being used to push someone else’s agenda?
