Breaking News Can't Come at Expense of Breaking Public Trust

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Receiving the First Amendment Leadership Award from the Radio-Television Digital News Foundation, NBC News President Steve Capus said that the pressure to break news is never worth breaking the public trust, and used the News Corp. cell phone hacking scandal of last fall as an example of what not to do to retain that trust.

He also talked about proposing an "alternative" to the rearview mirror mindset that talks about how good the old days were, and instead look at the heroes currently in uniform in Afghanistan and the journalists "out there reporting and fully dedicating themselves to getting the story right." He said it was a time to lead the news business into a new golden age, one that "shines the light on the dark recesses of government" including how decisions are made, how money is spent and who benefits. He said that it was especially important in an election year to pay attention to campaign promises and report fairly and accurately so voters know who and what they are voting for.


Breaking News Can't Come at Expense of Breaking Public Trust