Chequebook journalism

Chequebook journalism

Chequebook journalism (or checkbook journalism in American English) is the form of journalism where the essential characteristic is that the journalist pays the subject of the work money for the right to publish his story.

The phrase "chequebook journalism" is often used pejoratively, with the suggestion being that stories obtained by paying people are not so worthy as those obtained by traditional investigations.

In Australia chequebook journalism is viewed as a symptom of the fiercely competitive commercial television industry (most notably amongst current affairs programs). In the UK the print media uses it extensively, due to its geographic layout being conducive to the distribution of newspapers[citation needed].

The rescue of the Australian miners in the Beaconsfield mine collapse renewed public awareness of chequebook journalism, as the TV networks and their stakeholders bid for the exclusive rights to the story as told by miners Todd Russell and Brant Webb, who were trapped underground for 2 weeks.

In North America, paying money for interviews, although not necessarily illegal, is generally frowned upon. However, major media outlets in the United States will sometimes attempt to get around these standards by paying licensing fees for the rights to photos or footage (such as home video) relating to the subject, or paying for expenses such as flights, in conjunction with an "exclusive" interview.[1][2]

Examples of other cases involving chequebook journalism include:

  • the Nine Network paying Lindy Chamberlain $250,000 for the exclusive rights to her story
  • the Seven Network paying Stuart Diver $300,000 for his story about the Thredbo landslide
  • the Ten Network paying Douglas Wood $400,000 for his story about being kidnapped and held hostage in Iraq
  • David Frost paying Richard Nixon $600,000 for his story
  • the Seven Network paying solo yachtsman Tony Bullimore for his story about being trapped in his overturned vessel in the Southern Ocean [1][2].
  • Gizmodo.com, an online technology enthusiast news website, paying an anonymous source $5,000 USD for providing a stolen prototype of the next generation iPhone.

See also

References

  1. ^ Alex Weprin (2010-06-17). "ABC News Pulls Out Checkbook for Van Der Sloot Photos; Gets Exclusive Interview". TVNewser. WebMediaBrands. http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/abc-news-pulls-out-checkbook-for-van-der-sloot-photos-gets-exclusive-interview_b24174?c=rss. Retrieved 2010-10-18. 
  2. ^ Chris Ariens (2009-12-29). "SPJ Slams NBC’s ‘Checkbook Journalism.’ ‘NBC Jeopardized its Journalistic Independence and Credibility’". TVNewser. WebMediaBrands. http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/spj-slams-nbcs-checkbook-journalism-nbc-jeopardized-its-journalistic-independence-and-credibility_b25996. Retrieved 2010-10-18. 



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Look at other dictionaries:

  • chequebook journalism — noun News, articles, etc based on information bought, usu at a high price • • • Main Entry: ↑cheque * * * chequebook journalism UK US noun [uncountable] the practice of paying people a lot of money for information that can be used in newspaper… …   Useful english dictionary

  • chequebook journalism — n [U] BrE when newspapers get material for articles by paying people a lot of money for information about crimes or the private lives of famous people used to show disapproval …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • chequebook journalism — noun the payment of a large amount of money to acquire the exclusive right to publish a person s story in a newspaper …   English new terms dictionary

  • chequebook journalism — noun (U) BrE low quality writing in newspapers that pay large amounts of money for details of famous people s private lives …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • chequebook journalism — UK / US noun [uncountable] the practice of paying people a lot of money for information that can be used in newspaper stories, especially about crime or famous people …   English dictionary

  • chequebook journalism — /tʃɛkbʊk ˈdʒɜnəlɪzəm/ (say chekbook jernuhlizuhm) noun the practice of paying for the exclusive right to publish or broadcast a story, usually one of a personal or scandalous nature …  

  • journalism — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ good ▪ professional ▪ hard hitting (esp. AmE), investigative, watchdog (AmE) ▪ popular, tabloid …   Collocations dictionary

  • chequebook — noun Chequebook is used before these nouns: ↑journalism …   Collocations dictionary

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  • Press Council — established in 1953 by newspaper proprietors and journalists to prevent the government legislating to control the press by showing that it could responsibly self regulate, it still fundamentally fulfils this role. However, in order to satisfy… …   Law dictionary

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