Bob Woodward  On Ethics


ANONYMOUS SOURCES

I am incredulous that some editor would say, "Never use an anonymous source, it's not necessary." I think that is so naïve about journalism and about the world. Who publicly declares their most important secrets regularly? Just doesn't happen. It isn't the way human beings in institutions function. If you wanna set the standard of journalism, what I have often called "say" journalism. "The president said, the secretary of defense said, the senator said, the city councilwoman said, my sister said," that is the transaction of words. Journalism is a more probing transaction. Much more directed at what people say but, what happened, what really happened. And what's going on here? What does it mean? And often you can't get somebody to say that on the record with their name. Often a writer, talking to dozens of people, or even hundreds of people, will have to put it together for himself or herself. And no one will say that.

ETHICS AND HONESTY IN INTERVIEWS

Well, I think there's one rule to apply and it will answer almost all of your ethical questions in journalism. And that is pretend that there's somebody from the Columbia Journalism Review or the local journalism review listening and watching you operate. And ask that question: Is this something I would want to see in print? Does it make sense? Does it seem like I'm basically being fair? Does it seem like somebody I know would be bothered by my behavior? And does it pass the common sense test?

All the kind of hand-wringing about ethical questions, is this proper, is that proper, should journalists do this, or do that. Take the great lingering question about should journalists go undercover. Should they pretend they are something they are not? I say no. I say that it's a kind of false witness, it is pretending, and pretending doesn't work very good in journalism. And I have found who I am, from The Washington Post, and I'm working on this. Right out front, nothing cute, nothing indirect. People appreciate the frankness. Dealing with people is that basic, it's like any human interaction. It's like a job interview. It's like this interview. It's like meeting somebody for the first time at dinner or a cocktail party, or sitting next to them on a plane, and just, this is what I am, this is what I'm doing, I wonder about this, I'm curious about this. I work for this news organization and they want to know about what happened here. It's that simple.

Interestingly enough, and being a reporter 20 years, I find I've been lied to infrequently. People will evade, people will not answer, sometimes, people will directly lie, but it's rare. I think basically even dishonest people, even criminals, like to think that they're decent. And would rather tell the truth if they can find some way to do it. Now they're not gonna confess, or spread themselves, their lives in an entirely open way to you, but I find you can read people. It's again, a human interaction.

THE LEAD

Well, the classic example would be the husband who comes home, and the wife says, "What happened today?" and he said, "I got fired." That's the lead. And often, the lead is reducible to "I," a verb, something happened, or direct object. And I think we talk that way. And often it's just best to write the story the way you tell it.