When principles stampede the herd

Abstract

When the editor and publisher of The Lone Star Iconoclast, the newspaper of George W. Bush's vacation home in Crawford, Texas, began publication in 2000, he and his staff did not realize that the future would include scrutiny, criticism, and praise from throughout the world, and that by its endorsement of Senator John Kerry this small weekly newspaper would find itself intensely embroiled in a battle between principle and survival. Writes Smith: Nobody said that being a journalist is easy. It is far from it. The altar of principle dictates individual excellence and perseverance, which requires talent, sweat, and risk. To topple that altar in the name of profit is unconscionable. To abandon the mission of journalistic purity in favour of a lesser ideal, or a path without nettles, debases the profession and corrupts the product. That's why true journalists adhere to the belief that principles must be honoured.