Gya: Media agonizing

How should the media report on crime in a country to which the tourism industry is vital? That's what this story attempts to address. The writer comes to pretty much the same conclusion that that the American media did.

[T]he business of 'managing' the news in the national interest or in the interest of businessmen or financiers is a very slippery slope and once embarked on it can quickly lead to compromises that are incompatible with good journalism. The first duty of a newspaper is to publish the news without fear or favour and as fairly and professionally as it can. If it starts worrying about who this will affect or what it might lead to it becomes a player in the game rather than a mere recorder or reporter. That is not to say that there are never good grounds for holding a story. Clearly there can be. But a newspaper's priority is sometimes to rock the boat. If it starts giving too much weight to other considerations it can be in danger of losing its journalistic soul. There are sometimes good reasons for not publishing but better ones for publishing. In some cases there is no simple answer, a newspaper has to do what it thinks best and let the chips fall where they may.