Jim Lehrer to step down from Newshour

[scandal 951]

Robert MacNeil on Jim Lehrer's 'Stealth' Exit

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/jan-june11/macneil_05-13.html

Jim has been able to bequeath the most precious commodity in journalism, the enormous trust and credibility he has inspired over the years. That cannot simply be passed on like a parking space or a key to the restroom.

It starts with fairness. Jim's sense of fairness is distilled in the personal guidelines he works by as a journalist.

This is how he outlined them recently in a talk at the National Press Club in Washington: "Do nothing I cannot defend. Cover, write and present every story with the care I would want if the story were about me. Assume there is at least one other side or version to every story. Assume the viewer is as smart and as caring and as good a person as I am. Assume the same about all people on whom I report.

"Assume personal lives are a private matter, until a legitimate turn in the story absolutely mandates otherwise. Carefully separate opinion and analysis from straight news stories, and clearly label everything. Do not use anonymous sources or blind quotes, except on rare and monumental occasions. No one should ever be allowed to attack another anonymously. And finally, I am not in the entertainment business."

...

So, that is the quiet, but important revolution Jim has guided, while gradually extracting himself from the most visible and public role. It's the most constructive and graceful exit strategy I have ever seen for someone holding such a coveted and senior position.

It guarantees a continued place in today's bewildering media spectrum for a program that will stay devoted to serious journalism.

Indeed.

The contrast between a true journalist like Jim Lehrer and the gadflys on cable news outlets has never been starker. Journalism versus 'entertainment'.