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Opinion: Murdoch’s scandal: Better than a pie in the media mogul’s face?

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Maybe Rupert Murdoch deserved a shaving-cream pie in the face on Tuesday, but aside from being a symbolic -- and cathartic -- gesture, I’m not sure how much it accomplishes. In the aftermath of News Corp.’s hacking scandal, some of the most productive time spent has been the many conversations about media ethics. Erik Wample’s suggestion to Murdoch for a better mea culpa, for example, reads like a manifesto for how best to take responsibility:

An honest corporate apology must include two parts. One is an expression of regret to the victims of the corporation’s misdeeds. This, News Corp. has done. The other is an honest acknowledgment of what and who caused the wrongdoing, a taking of responsibility by those in charge. This, News Corp. hasn’t even approached, nor does it appear likely to.

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And Gabe Pressman’s commentary about the ‘old journalistic maxim’ has been among the reminders for how not to stray off course in the first place. (‘Club girls,’ I’m looking at you too.)

America has an old journalistic maxim that many city editors cherish: ‘Get it first. But first, get it right.’ That speaks for reporting accurately. But, in an ethical and legal sense, it’s not only what you report that counts but how you get it.

But there’s only so much that talking about ethics can accomplish. To Jeffrey Scott Shapiro, a former tabloid reporter who now practices criminal and media law, no amount of pies in the face or Romenesko-style forums will do an ounce of good if the 1st Amendment continues to protect tabloids that violate the ethics we hold so dear.

Although the law provides us with the tools we need to punish crimes related to free speech, the judicial system is too quick to bow before the 1st Amendment, and as a result we end up shielding criminals who misrepresent themselves as journalists and activists.If Congress truly wants to resolve this issue, it should take a cue from the British Parliament and hold hearings to investigate this systemic problem. This is not just a matter of ineffective prosecution and judicial weakness. The root of the problem is our reluctance as a nation to accept that something can be criminal when it involves expression.Crime is crime. Tabloid journalism uses illegal tactics, and it does not deserve absolute protection from the 1st Amendment.

Do you agreee with Shapiro that tabloids shouldn’t be protected by the 1st Amendment? Would taking his advice lead to the best outcome?

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-- Alexandra Le Tellier

Illustration by Paul Tong / Tribune Media Services

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