While alone in a room with a murderer's military personnel folder, should a journalist open it to uncover pertinent information for a story?
Renowned author and journalist Seymour Hersh posed this question to a diverse 70-person audience, drawing them into an hour-and-a-half-long discussion on ethics in journalism.
As part of the James D. Ewing Lecture on Ethics in Journalism series, last night's talk revolved around this central query, with Hersh playing the devil's advocate and prodding the audience for their views on the morality of a journalist using dubious means to get a story.
In reality, the situation Hersh put forth mirrored an ethical issue he faced when reporting his Pulitzer Prize-winning story on the My Lai massacre in 1970. After much discussion and debate, Hersh finally told the audience what he actually did when faced with this ethical decision 30 years ago.
"I couldn't have looked at it," Hersh said. "It's not what we [journalists] do for a living. We have to do it the right way in our profession."
Although he has since worked for several prominent publications, Hersh was a relatively novice reporter when his Pulitzer Prize-winning story broke. Since then, he has won dozens of awards and written several best-selling books, including "The Dark Side of Camelot."
Years before the My Lai story, Hersh temporarily quit journalism and worked as the press secretary for presidential candidate Sen. Joseph McCarthy.
"I left journalism and went to work in politics and then came back to journalism," Hersh said. "I was told I ruined my career."
The irony of this statement was not lost on the audience as Hersh's series of articles on My Lai changed the nation's perspective on the Vietnam War.
"We don't fight war any better than anyone else, and I had to tell the American people that," Hersh said.
The articles' impact resounded not only in the nation, but also in Hersh's career. Shortly after winning the Pulitzer, he gained the reputation as an ear for whistle-blowers.
"After My Lai, I was inundated with people who'd done lowly things," Hersh said. "I was like a big confessor."
Hushing the older members of the audience, Hersh encouraged participation from the students in the audience and emphasized the importance of responsibility in future journalists.
"We can't allow our passions of the moment to overwhelm us," Hersh said. "We must stick to these standards even [if] no one seems interested in preserving them."
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