Margaret Friedenauer: Embedded with Ethics

I’ve mentioned Margaret’s dispatches from the front before, but this is why I like her so much.

“Lastly, let’s just say that Department of Defense document didn’t exist? My reporting would still take into account the journalistic code of ethics, which in some ways says the same thing: Seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, be accountable.”

Yes, can you believe it a journalist that is actually, well, ethical. Congratulations Margaret, keep up the good work and yes we know that it isn’t all rose gardens in Iraq, we understand that there is a war going on and during war, people get hurt, and yes they die. Do we like that, no of course not, but we realize that it’s very likely that our loved ones might get hurt.

What we don’t like are reporters or editors that use information to further their political beliefs or harm National Security, information that makes our loved one’s mere existence more difficult or dangerous, because they tell the entire world how we track the enemy. We don’t like it when you actually help the enemy and praise them for their deadly acts. We don’t like it when you throw your ethics out the window all in the name of getting back at “W”.

Thank you Margaret for restoring my belief that there are at least a few journalists out there with integrity, I applaud you for what you are doing, keep up the good work.