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Don't let incomplete shoe pass put journalistic accuracy in doubt

5:30 PM Tue, Dec 16, 2008 | Permalink
Jack Perry

AP photo
President Bush shows impressive reflexes in ducking a shoe thrown by an Iraqi reporter during a press conference Sunday. (Check out video)

Rush Limbaugh and other right-wing talk show hosts probably thought it was another example of the liberal media's bias when an Iraqi reporter threw his shoes at President Bush.

But I think we should try to keep an open mind.

There's plenty of talk about the importance of objectivity in journalism, but a former editor of mine made a good point when she claimed that objectivity is a myth. (After all, journalists -- with the exception of some TV anchors -- aren't robots.) With our human limitations in mind, journalists must strive for accuracy and fairness, even if we're writing about, say, the Patriots, and we know in our hearts that the only reason they lost was because of a vast conspiracy against Bill Belichick.

Reporters can challenge their sources, pepper them with tough questions, but when it's time to file, they must put aside their biases in an effort to produce an accurate and fair report. In this case, it's clear from the photographs and videotape that the reporter was throwing a shoe, not a question, at the president. His actions seem over the top, but we shouldn't jump to a conclusion and indict the press in general or this reporter in particular.

Maybe he was just trying to get the president's attention, which can't be easy if you're working one of these presidential press conferences, and you're not from Fox News. It looks like the reporter threw just some regular old shoes. If he'd been trying to hurt the president, wouldn't he have thrown a steel-toed boot or something with a spiked heel?

And who got hurt?

President Bush didn't seem shaken by the exchange. He joked about it. Some public officials actually enjoy sparring with the press. They thrive on the give and take. For a guy who has spent eight years in such a stressful job, the president showed great reflexes in ducking the shoes. He looked like a guy who's had some experience.

For his part, the reporter is being treated like a hero by some of his countrymen, which is nice since the public usually holds reporters in low regard, right down there with politicians.

All that being said, I'm not endorsing his news-gathering approach. All I'm saying is that we need to wait to see his report on the president's visit to Iraq before we judge whether he can put his apparent ill feelings aside and produce a fair and accurate report.

Of course, we might have to wait a while -- until he gets out of jail.