[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 65 (Tuesday, May 17, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H3337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            MEDIA NEEDS TO SHOW RESPONSIBILITY IN REPORTING

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, ``Newsweek'' last night finally retracted a 
story that had deadly consequences. The incident underscores how high 
the stakes are for the news media. There is a prestige for 
organizations to get the story first. But that prestige often trumps 
factual reporting of issues. And the ``gotcha'' factor is often the 
motivation for running stories that are not as well researched as they 
could or should be. It is the ``gotcha'' bias that leads to shoddy 
reporting. This may be fine when they are covering the Michael Jackson 
case.
  The problem with the War on Terror reporting is that terrorists are 
watching. When stories are reported here that fit their PR plan, 
terrorists use them to incite violence and hatred around the world. In 
the very next news cycle, their response can be heard. That means that 
mistakes are very costly and the damage done is outrageous.
  In this case ``Newsweek's'' mistake cost the lives of 17 people in 
riots in Afghanistan and set back the cause of democracy there. This is 
inexcusable and irresponsible. And while it is good that Newsweek 
issued a correction, they should lead the way in setting a higher 
standard of reporting in the first place, particularly when we are 
talking life and death, war and peace.

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