Op-Ed: Assoc. Press Journalists Should Not Have Been Fired For Mistake

Yet, there is a difference between breaking the public trust and making a mistake.

In firing veteran Virginia political reporter Bob Lewis and longtime editor Dena Potter, the Associated Press seems to have forgotten the difference. Moreover, in taking this hasty action they have damaged the reputations of two well-respected journalists, forever tainted the AP brand and possibly, American journalism itself.

Like many people, I was shocked and saddened to see both of these fine journalists let go for this mistake. I’ve had the pleasure of working with them either when I was a reporter covering the Virginia statehouse or working in public relations on behalf of clients. They were always consummate professionals who were classy and had great senses of humor.

We live in a society where people expect news and information (usually for free) to magically appear on laptops and smart phones. Many don’t give much consideration to how the news is delivered or reported. Likewise, we have seen journalism go from a 24 hours, 7-days a week news cycle to a 24.7-second news cycle that is hyper-competitive. As a result, we have seen journalism standards – along with the revenues of major news outlets – plummet.

Standing above the fray and still being able to maintain high standards has been the AP. Founded more than a hundred years ago, the wire service is now an even more important resource for delivering state, regional, national and international news to audiences due to the shrinking of mainstream media such as local newspapers. Even publications like The Washington Post, which has been hemorrhaging money and urging early retirements, have found themselves relying on the AP to fill its pages – and website content – more than ever before.

The AP has also stood out by its dedication to covering local and state news. With news outlets shuttering bureaus at statehouses across the country, the AP and its team of reporters and editors – led by journalists like Lewis and Potter – has been keeping the public informed about their state government, the people who lead it and the politics behind it.

These journalists hone their craft of covering policy and politics – and gain the respect of Governors, legislators, lobbyists and, most importantly, the public – by making sure they have their facts straight before they report it. They are the information sources themselves as much as they are the storytellers, too. And I can tell you that now, as an elected official serving on the Fairfax City Council, I value journalists even more than before because I want the public to know what their government is doing as well as learn from journalists what they are hearing as they take the pulse of the communities they serve.

This combination of being trusted as well as being a fount of knowledge doesn’t just happen. It takes time. And it takes a news organization having the intestinal fortitude to allow its journalists to do something we all do: make mistakes.

Unfortunately, the AP has shown – through the sacking of two highly-regarded journalists – that it isn’t willing to tolerate any mistakes. That’s a shame, because making mistakes and learning from them makes us better at what we do, both personally and professionally. Showing forgiveness is a sign of strength; kicking dedicated professionals to the curb shows weakness. And by the way, last time I checked, newspapers all across the country make mistakes. When they do, they own up to it as a correction – usually not by firing the reporters and editors who made the mistakes.

A founding principle of our country is that the press has the freedom to do its job without interference from the government so as to have an informed citizenry. This freedom is enshrined in our Constitution, taught to our children at school and expected by us as Americans.

But as Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”

In firing Lewis and Potter, who both admitted to making a mistake, the AP is teaching this country a horrible lesson about how to value the freedom of the press. It is sending a chilling message to journalists and those who aspire to serve the public in this noble calling that risk-taking and mistakes will not be tolerated. And it is devaluing the role of journalism in America because if we don’t have people willing to go out on a limb and make a mistake in the pursuit of truth, we will wind up living in a country where only the safest – and softest and often-times irrelevant – “news” is reported.

Americans can quickly forgive. So should those running the Fourth Estate. 

 - Dan Drummond, Fairfax City

TELL US - What do you think of Mr. Drummond's take on this issue? Do you agree? Why or why not? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

FOLLOW FAIRFAX CITY PATCH FOR THE LATEST NEWS AND EVENTS!

Facebook | Twitter | Daily & Breaking News E-mail Updates