Frontline Response

1. Steven Smith felt it was important to differentiate between whether West had or had not engaged in these acts because he felt that it was the community's right to know if he was having relations with underage boys. Smith said if he was not engaging in activities with underage boys or abusing public office then there was no story.

2. Bill Morlin and The Spokesman-Review hired a consultant to post a profile on-line. They made the profile for an 18-year-old student and then started communicating with the mayor. Morlin felt it was not ethical for himself to engage in conversation with the mayor, but did feel it was appropriate to hire a consultant to do so.

3. The Spokesman-Review published so many articles on West's inproprieties because they broke the story and it was linked to past crimes. It centered on a public figure and affected the whole community. Also, the story developed over time so follow-up stories were important in continuing to keep the community informed.

4. I think West was hurt the most from the stories. The Spokesman-Review benefited by gaining notoriety for invesitgative journalism. This was a major story they broke that made national news. It also benefited the community because voters deserve to know that public officials are being held accountable and honoring public office. If public office is being abused it is the responsibility of the media to keep them honest.

5. I do not think there are ethical problems in reporting in the story. The newspaper is not making major accusations, rather raising suspicions and presenting facts. It is the media's responsbility to hold public officials accountable. If there were no facts to support the accusations then the paper would not print the story and the person accused would most likely not take unexpalined sick leave.