Standard journalistic practices

Speaking of citizen journalists not acknowledging something as simple as standard journalistic practices, Mayhill Fowler was one such person. I am not an accurate judge to say what exactly are standard journalistic practices are, but she was fully aware that she had given Bill Clinton the wrong impression of who she was. She didn't say that she was a journalist or that she was recording, although it is not required by law. She says that she held her recorder in plain sight in her hand, however, it could have looked like any number of things and her hand may not have been prominent enough to be noticed, she could have had it hanging down by her side with her recorded clutched in it, etc, we don't know.

The story that developed was one of considerable weight, however, which could possibly justify the questionable means used to develop it. It is evident that Clinton is a public figure, and as such, he has public importance and prominence, which leaves him vulnerable to such events occurring, in this instance it was just an example of one abusing this vulnerability. From the recording, it wasn't that a normal conversation was started and then turned to the topic of the reporter who wrote the article. Fowler spoke to him with the intent of getting such a reaction out of him. I don't feel as though it can be completely OK when it is taken out of context like that.

Undercover reporting has always been questionable and doubted by many. In saying that, it is very hard to form a judgement one way or the other in this situation as to whether Fowler should have had more remorse or hesitation with the situation, because she seemed to be quite the opposite and was very proud of her accomplishment in recording such a statement from the former president.