Journalists are advised to maintain professional relationships with sources and to minimize all personal conversation or contact that could compromise the reporting process. Romantic or sexual relationships are considered to be particularly unethical and can jeopardize the credibility of both the journalist and the whistleblower.
Example
Journalist Christie Smyth was covering white-collar crime for Bloomberg News in 2015 when she broke the news that Martin Shkreli, an infamous pharmaceutical executive who raised the price of a life-saving prescription drug by 5,000% for his own financial gain, was arrested on charges of securities fraud. Smyth remained a key reporter of the trial over several months, meeting with Shkreli for private interviews that became romantic. A secret relationship ensued, and continued even after Shkreli was sentenced to prison in March 2018. That summer, Bloomberg executives told Smyth her behavior toward and around Shkreli was “biased and unprofessional,” prompting her resignation. Source: Elle
Although journalists are often motivated to uncover and address institutional wrongs through their reporting, they are also required to adhere to newsroom policies set by their employer. These expectations can limit or shape the ways journalists work with whistleblowers, including in cases where
- the newsroom does not permit publishing information from anonymous sources,
- the newsroom incentivizes reporting practices that pressure or manipulate sources in order to obtain information, and/or
- the newsroom’s policies prohibit journalists from reporting on stories that conflict with the newsroom’s business interests.
These expectations can in rare cases prompt unethical behavior by a reporter, who may mislead a whistleblower, offer inaccurate legal advice, or solicit and publish information the whistleblower is uncomfortable divulging, all for the benefit of their story and newsroom.
Example: In December 2020, the New York Post reported on a young paramedic who started a side gig in sex work to make ends meet amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The story included the paramedic’s name, age, hometown, place of employment, and other personal information — even though she had told the reporter she wished to remain anonymous. On a GoFundMe page to support her legal action against the Post, the paramedic wrote:
“I did not want the NY Post to run this article, much less use my name. [The reporter] did not tell me what this was about until after I disclosed most of my background. He did not include in his article that I started crying on the phone when he finally did tell me what he was inquiring about. He did not include that he played this “friendly guy” reporter who just wanted to get MY side of the story, since ya know, they were gonna run it anyway, with or without my input. I know my actions have consequences and I know some of you think I was naive. I truly believe whoever “tipped” the Post does not know me personally because anyone who knows me knows the kind of person I am.”
