Gotcha Journalism

Embarrassment is often the only tool journalism has.

   Those who are caught doing something embarrassing  deride "gotcha journalism" as a vindictive tactic, and they bad-mouth the reporters who write about their exploits. Truth is, they resent being caught and being embarrassed, and attack those who expose them.
   Consider these questions: Is "gotcha journalism" a bad thing? Is it poor reporting and irresponsible news writing? Is it unpatriotic to publicize the failings of a government? Is it counterproductive to reveal the machinations of business leaders who neglect or oppose fair treatment of those they employ?
   Is it "gotcha journalism" to broadcast an interview when a President says, "When the President does it, it's not illegal," as Richard Nixon did during an interview session with David Frost?
   Is it "gotcha journalism" to broadcast an interview when vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin displayed her ignorance while speaking with Katie Couric?
   Is it "gotcha journalism" to expose political leaders -- Governors and Presidents -- as womanizers who then evade and try to cover up their philandering?

   Or is it good journalism, to uncover the exploits, errors and misadventures of government and business officials and inform the public about them?

   A major duty and responsibility of journalism is to find, uncover and expose unfairness, incompetence and mistreatment at any and all levels of society, whether government, political, business or society in general.
   Some in the news business will cry "Gotcha!" as a victory cheer. They need not and should not. And the subjects -- the "gotchees" -- should not whine and complain when they are caught and exposed in their unfairness and incompetence. Rather, they should accept the criticism and their responsibility for their own actions and move on to better things.
   But that may be too much to ask for. Instead, the "gotchees" attack journalists as vindictive, unpatriotic, nasty, mean, and other things that are at least insulting and at worst unprintable.

   In fairness, it mst be said that some reporters go out of their way to embarrass officials purely for the sake of embarrassing them and then being able to gleefully shout "Gotcha!"
   This is not good journalism, since it serves no useful purpose.