Annalog

I remember the front page of The Washington Post when the Clinton-Lewinksy scandal first broke in January 1998. I was nine years old. Twelve years later—hard to believe it’s been so long—I can still remember those front page images and headlines, the torrent of articles and TV broadcasts. All news about domestic and foreign policy was cast to the back pages of newspapers. The sex scandal dominated newspaper issues and television broadcasts.

Marvin Kalb, who has worked as a reporter for both CBS and NBC, dissects the press coverage of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal in the first two weeks after the story broke in his book One Scandalous Story. Much of the reporting during those few weeks in January, he wrote, was irresponsible and based on hearsay or sources who wished to remain anonymous. In those two weeks reporters for The Washington Post neglected the paper’s rule requiring that two sources substantiate a claim before going to print. Reporters depended heavily on sources who refused to talk without assurance of anonymity. In many cases more than half the “facts” in an article were not attributed or introduced in the passive voice.

Kalb concludes his analysis of the Clinton-Lewinsky press coverage with a overview of the last few decades of American journalism. He concludes that the increasing competitive pressure between news outlets has quickly resulted in reckless reporting. The lines between editorial coverage and business have been crossed.