Mistakes and more mistakes

Journalism is a demanding field. It demands honesty, morality and (bizarrely enough) a conscience.

But what about when a journalist makes a mistake, or worse yet makes one on purpose?

Jayson Blair, Stephen Glass, Jack Kelley. These are the ones who made their mistakes on purpose. They were fired like the liars and fabricators they are. Add two more names to the list of those who shame their profession and who no longer have the right to call themselves journalists.

Brook Corwin.

Michael Pucci.

Mistake 1) These two used www.thefacebook.com, a Web site aimed at connecting college students to their peers, to make up a daily piece that aimed to give a voice to local citizens.

Mistake 2) At first, Reidsville Review Managing Editor Jeff Sykes did not fire them, thus further damaging the credibility of the newspaper.

It eventually led to Corwin, Pucci and Sykes resigning from the Review. Like cauterizing a wound, this has damaged the Review's credibility and damaged the paper's capabilities.

Still, in the end this turned out as it should, sad as it may be. What is really sad is that there remain people out there who are wishy-washy. There should be no question about it: Those two reporters did something unethical and the entire journalism community should wash our hands of their stench. End of story.

But now we turn our heads to Florida, where one man is dead, a columnist has been fired and the entire journalistic community, as well as the local news area, is reeling from all angles.

Miami Herald metro columnist Jim DeFede was fired after he admitted to editors that he had taped a source without the source's knowledge, which is illegal in Florida. This was the same day that the aforementioned source, former Miami city commissioner Arthur Teele Jr. (who was about to be exposed by a story run in another Miami paper for several illicit "activities") walked into the lobby of the Herald and shot himself. He died two hours later. That same evening, the Herald fired DeFede.

Immediately people began connecting DeFede's firing with the suicide. What the truth was didn't really matter to people.

The Herald's senior staff made a terrible error in timing. Yes, DeFede broke a law. But he at least deserved a hearing and he never got that. Some of the upper staff were at Knight Ridder (the Herald's parent company) headquarters in San Diego.

Their haste in firing DeFede has further damaged the paper's reputation and raised serious dissent among the staff.

Better to have suspended him, gave him a hearing and then fired him later.

But then there's the question of how it was discovered that DeFede made the tape.

He admitted it himself, taking full responsibility for his mistake.

In a day and age where it's a constant game of who to pass the blame to next, Jim DeFede took a courageous stand, admitting his mistake and not trying to pass the blame. He was fired for that. That action alone should have given the brass of the Herald pause. Now it will seem as if DeFede's reward for being honest was a pink slip.

Now, I'm not entirely sure what I would have done with DeFede. I probably would have suspended him for his bad judgment, but because he took responsibility I don't think I'd have fired him.

I think that really the moral of these stories is that people need to stop and think. Hasty decisions mean decisions that can be easily called into question.

As for what journalism is becoming today? I guess we'll have to wait and see.