Chapter 3: Reporters and Sources

This chapter centers on the importance of sources for quality reporting. Sources continue to be indispensable for journalism, and the ethical use of sources is an ongoing challenge. This chapter chooses four entangled aspects of the reporter–source relationship. The first case, on data mining and artificial intelligence, illustrates the enormous difficulties in getting reliable information from the emerging technologies. In the second case, the debate revolves around the use of stolen materials. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s investigation of Chiquita Brands is a classic in journalism ethics and provides an opportunity to examine Kant’s restrictions against theft and lying. The third case, on Reporters Without Borders, concerns the question of taking seriously the least advantaged as sources. The fourth case is about the New York Times’ s use of sources in the investigation of Harvey Weinstein story and the ethical obligations to vulnerable sources. The fifth case, on international news coverage of Darfur, deals with the problem of choosing sources that fit national, institutional, or personal interests.