Situation Definition
On November 18, 2001, Michael Finkel published an article for The New York Times titled “Is Youssouf Malé A Slave?” The article was written about a West African boy who worked on the Ivory Coast. An editor’s note followed the article and disclosed that shortly after its publication, The New York Times was contacted by an organization called Save the Children. The organization noted false information and lies within the story. When The New York Times tried to contact Finkel’s sources, they were unable to verify some of the information in the article or contact the sources at all (Finkel, 2001). Two main ethical issues relating to the case are fabrication and inadequate sources.
According to Gene Foreman, author of The Ethical Journalist: Making Responsible Decisions in the Media Age, fabrication is “making things up and passing them off as genuine” (Foreman, 2016). The subject of Finkel’s piece is said to be a young West African boy named Youssouf Male. However, the editor’s note following the article states the boy was actually a combination of various sources rather than a single individual (Finkel, 2001). Therefore, Finkel fabricated this character and violated a major journalistic ethical code.
Secondly, Finkel could not verify his source information and therefore risked tainting the credibility of the Times. Foreman emphasizes the importance of sources stating, “journalists depend on other people for information they report to their readers, viewers, listeners, and online users” (Foreman, 2016). The editor’s note discloses that many of Finkel’s sources were either unavailable to comment, or no longer worked for the organization. Finkel admitted to having “[written] this article without consulting his notes,” which further indicates his neglect and somewhat lazy attitude toward his profession (Finkel, 2001). Finkel’s carelessness hindered the reporter-source relationship, and could have significantly impacted the future willingness of sources to work with journalists.
Analysis
There were many “facts” in Finkel’s article that were actually false, according to notes later reviewed by editors (Finkel, 2001). The information proved he completely fabricated this character by combining a number of stories, such as one told by Madou Traoré, who was actually returned to his parents despite the article’s claim it was Youssouf Malé (Finkel, 2001). Additionally, Michael Finkel admitted his character was “a blend of several boys he interviewed” and “did not apply specifically to any single individual,” which further exemplifies his unethical journalism practices (Finkel, 2001). The New York Times specifies in its policies that it “prohibit[s] falsifying a news account or using fictional devices in factual material” (Finkel, 2001). It is evident, therefore, that Finkel violated these codes and further proves he is an unethical journalist.
Jefferson Spurlock is the Director of the Hall School of Journalism and Communication at Troy University and author of “Why Journalists Lie: The Troublesome times for Janet Cooke, Stephen Glass, Jayson Blair, and Brian Williams.” According to Spurlock, a journalist should “disseminate factual information to curious news consumers.” Within Finkel’s article, he wrote that an anti-slavery video was shown, but according to a psychologist working for Save the Children, this statement is false (Finkel, 2001). This example alone proves how Finkel’s actions contradict Spurlock’s definition of a journalist, and further questions his ethical practices. Additionally, Finkel violated a standard ethics code presented by the Society of Professional Journalists of “[seeking] truth and [reporting] it” because he failed to truthfully report his information (Foreman, 2016).
A journalist’s duty to serve the public is one that requires trust and credibility. One’s reputation can be severely damaged if he is caught performing an ethical act such as fabrication. While Spurlock does not directly address Finkel’s case, those of the journalists mentioned are very similar to his case. Spurlock notes that “sometimes reporters decide to push the envelope a bit and let the world know of events that actually did not happen without informing the public of their fabrications,” and therefore “it is here where newspaper and magazine readers and broadcast viewers and listeners tend to regard these journalists as less credible and trustworthy,” (Spurlock, 2016). Finkel did exactly what Spurlock described, which is in violation of the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of “seek truth and report it” because he fabricated information in his article (Foreman, 2016).
Ivor Shapiro, Colette Brin, Isabelle Be ́dard-Bruˆle ́, and Kasia Mychajlowycz conducted a study and published their findings in an article titled “Verification as a Strategic Ritual: How Journalists Retrospectively Describe Processes for Ensuring Accuracy.” The study found that journalists “described verification as central to their work, or claimed that they check every fact with an independent source,” therefore bringing Finkel’s own journalism practices into question (Shapiro, Brin, Be ́dard-Bruˆle, and Mychajlowycz, 2013). According to the findings, “accuracy continues to provide a strong common ideal for journalists” and considered a “professional norm” (Shapiro, Brin, Be ́dard-Bruˆle, and Mychajlowycz, 2013). In relation to the case and the results of this study, it is clear that Finkel neglected this journalistic norm by failing to verify his sources.
Additionally, a journalist must rely on his relationship with his sources to provide the public with more information about a given news story. Therefore, this relationship is without a doubt one of great value and should be taken seriously no matter the situation. In relation to Finkel’s case, he blatantly abused his source relationship by failing to use his notes and provide reliable contact information to verify his story. The editor’s note reveals that Finkel’s sources were essentially useless in verifying his claims, and therefore questioned the authenticity of the entire story (Finkel, 2001). Finkel’s unverifiable sources prevented him from “[being] accountable and transparent,” one of the four main codes by the SPJ (Foreman, 2016).
Conclusion
If I were ever to be in a similar situation as Finkel was in the early 2000s, I would have to tell the truth and live with the consequences. As a journalist, my credibility is one of the most important aspects of my career and vital to the reputation of the company for which I work. If I lied and falsified information just as Finkel had in his article, I would have no other choice but to resign and find another job. Fortunately for Finkel, he was able to purse a career as an author. However, not all people are as lucky as he and it is important to remember this not only as a journalist, but as an ethical human.
I believe this is an important case to analyze because despite it being published in 2001, there have been many instances where reporters fabricated information and could not verify their sources. As an aspiring journalist in the online media age, it is more important than ever to report truthfully and be capable of verifying my sources. Not only will this greatly impact my own reputation, but also the stakeholders mentioned in my article and my boss.
References:
Finkel, M. (2001, November 18). Is Youssouf Malé A Slave? Retrieved March 27, 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/18/magazine/is-youssouf-male-a- slave.html
Foreman, G. (2016). The Ethical Journalist: Making Responsible Decisions in the Digital Age. Hoboken: Wiley.
Shapiro, I., Brin, C., Bédard-Brûlé, I., & Mychajlowycz, K. (2013). Verification as a Strategic Ritual. Journalism Practice, 7(6), 657-673. doi:10.1080/17512786.2013.765638
Spurlock, J. (2016). WHY JOURNALISTS LIE: THE TROUBLESOME TIMES FOR JANET COOKE, STEPHEN GLASS, JAYSON BLAIR, AND BRIAN WILLIAMS. ETC: A Review Of General Semantics, 73(1), 71-76.