Journalists should consider a Hippocratic Oath before asking Donald Trump anything!
I do not own a newspaper or media outlet, nor am I an editor of one. However, as a concerned reader and viewer, may I advise journalists not to ask Donald Trump questions that could have important implications? People or nations could be at risk.
We all know that the president will answer almost any question spontaneously, whether he has never thought about it or ever discussed it with any advisors. When you ask him a question about important matters, such as whether Ukraine should do x or Russia should do y, then we will answer in ways that are very likely to be consequential and potentially harmful, even if only for the short period of holding the media’s attention.
Please think carefully about what you ask. Asking President Trump a question may be one sure way to get your question and his answer covered, especially if the answer is provocative. You have a major incentive to ask questions, even leading questions – maybe especially leading questions like: should a leader take a particular action? His answers often travel around the world with implications that no journalist might have considered, particularly in those frequent incidents when the answer has implications for policy and is dangerous or ludicrous on its face.
Of course, I realize that you are (still) free to ask any question you want in the USA. But is there something like the Hippocratic oath for journalists (not just for medical practitioners)? I’ve just searched the web, and I find that several respected outlets are writing about the need for the equivalent of a Hippocratic oath for journalists.[1] I agree. In journalism, I imagine most of the worry is over what journalists report, but we should also – in the special case of Donald Trump – think about what questions journalists should ask as these questions drive their reporting.
Tongue in cheek, I have often said that universities should have signs at the entrances to their campuses along the lines of “Caution! Academics at Work. Ideas can be Dangerous”. As an academic, ethical guidelines remind us not to harm participants in, or subjects of, our research. If there is an equivalent in journalism? If so, I fear it is thrown out the door when asking Donald Trump a loaded question.
Discuss?
[1] See: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jul/11/media-corrupt-hippocratic-oath-journalists