[LS]

I don't want to silence him, but I think all journalists must be held accountable---they cannot just say, "I got it from a source" and then foist off on the government the expense and trouble of locating the source.

I have real problems with the "confidentiality of sources" when it comes to issues of national security. Novak knows, he should end the speculation and say. Yes, his career may take a hit. So what? Any more than the careers of either Plame or Pres. Bush? Why is his sacrosanct? To me it's a a double-standard that lets reporters of any political stripe get away with murder.

[jmstein7]

Ping!

[KC_Conspirator]

The counterpoint is that the press protects their sources all the time and have made claims that it is a protection of their trade. Liberals have made a point of this their whole careers. For example, Woodward and Bernstein never told us who Deep Throat was and the New York Slimes and the Washington ComPost regularly have huge leading stories (almost always anti-Bush) that have "un-named sources".

[Wolverine]

Here are the "8 Violations of Media Objectivity":

Violation #1 Misleading definitions and terminology.
By using terminology and definitions in a way that implies accepted fact, the media injects bias under the guise of objectivity.

Violation #2 Imbalanced reporting.
Media reports frequently skew the picture by presenting only one side of the story.

Violation #3 Opinions disguised as news.
An objective reporter should not use adjectives or adverbs, unless they are part of a quotation. Also, the source for any facts and opinions should be clear from the report, or alternatively it should be stated that source is intentionally undisclosed.

Violation #4 Lack of context.
By failing to provide proper context and full background information, journalists can dramatically distort the true picture.

Violation #5 Selective omission.
By choosing to report certain events over others, the media controls access to information and manipulates public sentiment.

Violation #6 Using true facts to draw false conclusions.
Media reports frequently use true facts to draw erroneous conclusions.

Violation #7 Distortion of facts.
In today's competitive media world, reporters frequently do not have the time, inclination or resources to properly verify information before submitting a story for publication.

Violation #8  Creating news instead of reporting it. Deliberately holding stories until the last minute before an election.

See Media Ethics <http://www.people.vcu.edu/~jcsouth/hotlists/ethics.htm>