Comments on: Radley Balko Comments on CNN’s Unattributed Use of His Reporting

By: Reading Around on August 24th through August 25th | B12 Solipsism

Reading Around on August 24th through August 25th | B12 Solipsism — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:07:47 +0000

[...] Radley Balko Comments on CNN’s Unattributed Use of His Reporting – City Desk – Was... – CNN recently did to criminal justice reporter Radley Balko, who lives in Northern Virginia, what Gawker supposedly did to Shapira, except it failed to give any credit where much credit was due. Balko (who I worked with at Reason) has spent several years reporting on Steven Hayne, the Mississippi medical examiner whose shoddy work has led to the incarceration of several known innocents. Over the last three years, Balko has cultivated sources, reads hundreds–if not thousands–of pages of documentation incriminating Hayne, and, as a result, has broken every single piece of major news about the medical examiner. [...]

By: DMV: Jersey Gaffe No. 2 for the Skins | Mr. Irrelevant

DMV: Jersey Gaffe No. 2 for the Skins | Mr. Irrelevant — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:30:35 +0000

[...] CNN’s AC360 fails to give credit to local reporter Radley Balko. [City Desk] [...]

By: Ben

Ben — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:35:04 +0000

But Dave, what actual substance did CNN's re-interviewing of Balko's sources add to the story. Nothing, from what I can see. They did not produce a scintilla of information that Balko had not already reported on. So, to me it looks like they re-interviewed the sources simply so they could say it was original work and not have to credit him.

I guess what I'm saying is that if I submitted a senior thesis explaining how gravity worked, it would still not be original work, even if I redid all of the experiments myself.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:13:59 +0000

@Riggs

I guess I see your point. By Gawker linking to the Shapira story, they were giving the WaPo a tacit hat tip. But CNN didn't even link to Balko's work.

Still, CNN did do some legwork on this story whereas Gawker did none. I disagree with your point that opinion and analysis are sometimes more valuable than reporting. How so?

By: elizabeth

elizabeth — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:23:04 +0000

Hey everyone, although I deeply appreciate the work Mr Balco has done on the story, the point is: it needs to see the national light of day. Now. with all the writers credit issues...the story is again delayed by CNN...so congrats I guess Balco and fans. The point should be to air the story again and again if necessary to get to the truth and stop injustice. I dearly hope that your journalistic ethics extend further. Unless someone takes the high road and says "run it" it will remain buried and many will suffer.

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:38:31 +0000

why is there so much journalism navel-gazing on this blog? I can understand the Wemple posts, as that seems to be his beat, but it bleeds into almost everyone's writing

http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=45&aid=168422

By: Mike Riggs

Mike Riggs — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:24:16 +0000

I think this comes down to giving credit where credit is due, Dave. Regardless of whether Gawker added additional reporting or not--and I think it's important to note that additional reporting isn't always necessary; sometimes opinion and analysis are worth just as much--WaPo and Shapira were rewarded for their diligence with page views (which, in some parallel universe, equals $$$).

In this case, Balko reported for years, CNN swooped in, re-reported through all his sources, and made no mention of Balko's work in unearthing these people and their stories.

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:14:57 +0000

But didn't CNN do it's own reporting on this story - albeit lame, piggybacking reporting - by interviewing Balko's sources? Isn't that different than the Shapira case, in which Gawker just linked to his story and didn't do any of its own reporting?

By: Mike Riggs

Mike Riggs — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:57:01 +0000

Thanks for the heads up, Javad.

By: Javad

Javad — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:28:54 +0000

Wow..almost immediately after this article got a trackback on the AC360 blog, the comments were closed by CNN... hmm

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/08/21/pathologists-work-raises-questions/

By: The Agitator » Blog Archive » On Giving Credit

The Agitator » Blog Archive » On Giving Credit — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:34:44 +0000

[...] and the Washington City Paper pick up the story of CNN and the Jackson Clarion-Ledger running with my Hayne scoops without [...]