In his lengthy speech, Coleman explained that it was acceptable practice for journalists to report, without attribution, comments like those that Jackson shared with him during their“ let’ s talk Black” conversation. And Coleman said it was not unethical for him to give Jackson’ s remarks to another reporter to publish, rather than report it himself.
During a question & answer session, Coleman had a heated exchange with Newsday editor and NABJ Founder, Les Payne, in which – among other things – he was questioned about his work as the editor of Janet Cooke, a Washington Post reporter who made up a story about how a Black mother in the nation’ s capital let her boyfriend turn her 5-year-old son into a heroin addict. Even though fellow Post reporters and editors questioned the truthfulness of Cooke’ s story, Coleman supported her recommendation for a Pulitzer Prize, which she won and then had to return after admitting that she made up the story.
Here’ s that exchange:
( Payne) I have as the White House correspondents say, a three-part question... We have a lot of young journalists here who are confused by this rather long( unclear) you have given us about your version of journalism …
Is it good journalism in retrospect to have edited the Janet Cooke story, tremendous harm to folks in the Black community of Washington, and I would imagine, to intelligent people in the entire city of Washington and the readership of The Washington Post and other folks who read that story. Do you consider that to be a good example of the practice of your version of good journalism?
My second( unclear) is that when you went to Jesse Jackson, as you say in your autopsy speech here, you were carrying a two-part message, one was I believe was a cocktail( unclear). Another was an invitation to lunch and, is it good journalism for a reporter to act as errand boy for his editor?
Listen here
The third part of my questions, it seems to me from reading again this autopsy, which seems to have been put together by an ombudsman, very clearly by your own definition you define what a background ground rules are, you violated them, which is fine, let’ s say for the sake of argument... In violating this background agreement that you define in this piece, do you think it is proper for a veteran, experienced and by your own definition a good journalist to take this quite explosive thing you’ ve heard and quote it from memory? Should you not write that story yourself immediately if you feel it is important and substantive enough to violate the background agreement, and write it under your byline and not your tagline?
( Coleman) OK, alright. Let me come at them backwards.( unclear) in this room know that everything you report you don’ t write under your byline. I mean’ c’ mon,.. if you do then you’ re at a different paper than The Washington Post. I mean a lot of us do, as I said... we share a lot of stuff. It wasn’ t that explosive. If it had been, we would have put it in the lead. It was not that explosive.( Payne) You said, in your autopsy, that it was quite explosive and you knew it would( unclear)...( Coleman) You have to read closer, Les. I said it would be controversial. I didn’ t say it would be explosive... If it had been that explosive we would have put it in the lead... No, I didn’ t write it... Secondly, a messenger boy, everybody plays a messenger boy. All reporters do those kinds of things. I don’ t have no problem with that because I know I’ m not a boy. Third point, the Janet Cooke story. I’ ve gone through the Janet Cooke story. I’ ve never disowned what I did in that. I’ ve never said that I didn’ t think that was a mistake.
And finally, there was an exchange between Coleman and a man who identified himself as a student at Tougaloo College, a historically black higher education institution in Jackson, Miss., who questioned Coleman about a threat that Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan- a Jesse Jackson supporter- allegedly made on the reporter’ s life.
The question I have for you is do you truly understand the death of Judas( unclear) and why do you feel that was a threat? And why have you done nothing to prevent the death of Judas from occurring in your own life?( Coleman) I am not a student of Judas...( Student)... Let me give you the courtesy that you didn’ t extend to Jesse Jackson, since you don’ t understand the term and I’ ve used it in your presence. Judas, after receiving the 30 pieces of silver, upon betraying Jesus, the Christ, did not die at the hands of the Romans or the Jews. He began to see, much as you’ ve done today, to get some sympathy and forgiveness of the people. Upon not receiving that, and I haven’ t heard it here today, he killed himself. Now in 1984 Minister Farrakhan referred to you as a Judas and you would die like a Judas...( Coleman) I ain’ t Judas. Jesse Jackson ain’ t Jesus and I ain’ t gonna kill myself.( laughter and applause).
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