Secret recordings have been a headache for some high-profile politicians. Many question the morality of the practice, especially when the media gets involved. Do public officials have a right to privacy? Is the value of these recordings too important to ignore?
Aided by cellphones doubling as digital recording devices, political activists and campaign operatives are in a bipartisan race to produce "gotcha" moments. Once made public, these recordings often go viral and can effectively derail opponents.
For example, a liberal activist recently admitted to placing a bug in Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's office and recording a conversation between the Republican and his campaign staff.
In 2010, conservative activist James O'Keefe was caught tampering with the telephones at Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu’s Louisiana office. He pleaded guilty to entering the property under false pretenses. O'Keefe had previously gained notoriety for his hidden camera "sting" operations against the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, better known as ACORN.
Mitt Romney's infamous claim that 47 percent of Americans are too dependent on government was secretly recorded by a bartender at a private event in 2012 and may have permanently set back Romney’s bid to unseat President Barack Obama.
Each recording made headlines when it was leaked to the media. Secret recordings, though, are an ethical grey area for journalists. The Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics advises reporters to "avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public." Nevertheless, the traditional media has largely played along, reporting on these stories and the controversies they generate despite the tactics employed.
What do you think? Is it ethical to make secret recordings of a political opponent? If public officials think they’re speaking off the record, do they have a right to privacy?
Should the media run stories generated by hidden cameras and bugs? Is the public value of these recordings too important to ignore?
Does the upsurge in secret recording for political purposes pose a larger threat for the democratic system?
For more information see:
Curtis Morrison, "Why I secretly recorded Mitch McConnell," Salon, May 31, 2013
Ramon Antonio-Vargas, "James O'Keefe and friends plead guilty in Mary Landrieu office caper," The Times-Picayune, May 26, 2010
Andrew Siddons and Gerry Mullany, "The Man Behind the ‘47 Percent’ Video Comes Forward," The New York Times, March 13, 2013
SPJ Code of Ethics, Society of Professional Journalists
Photo credits in order of appearance: Hossam el-Hamalawy epSos.de Derek Steen Gage Skidmore Karl Heubaum Talk Radio News Service Truthout.org Robert Batina Ben Alman Jack WCN 24/7 [also for picture 12] Sean Bernard Scorpions and Centaurs Muff McElfresh Adan Sanchez de Pedro CIA Matt Blaze
