Advice on Journalism: Wolf Blitzer

The Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication has conducted oral history interviews with several of the nation’s most influential journalists. The Page Center website features a vast collection of transcripts and videos of these interviews. On this blog, we will highlight some of the advice given by professionals on attaining positions in the field of journalism.

Wolf Blitzer is CNN’s lead political anchor and the anchor of The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, CNN’s political news program that provides up-to-the minute coverage of the day’s events. During the 2008 presidential election, Blitzer spearheaded CNN’s Peabody Award-winning coverage of the presidential primary debates and campaigns. He also anchored coverage surrounding all of the major political events, including conventions, Election Night and the full day of President Barack Obama’s inauguration.

Blitzer began his career in 1972 with the Reuters News Agency in Tel Aviv. Shortly thereafter, he became a Washington, D.C., correspondent for the Jerusalem Post. After more than 15 years of reporting from the nation’s capital, Blitzer joined CNN in 1990 as the network’s military-affairs correspondent at the Pentagon. He served as CNN’s senior White House correspondent covering President Bill Clinton from his election in November 1992 until 1999.

How to suppress dangerous details while maintaining an audience’s trust

In covering Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Wolf Blitzer encountered several ethical dilemmas that governed how he would handle his obligations to the audience and obligations to protect human life. One in particular is effectively maintaining his journalistic credibility while not disseminating details that would ultimately aid the enemy.

“I was totally transparent with the viewers and I would say, ‘we know where these missiles are landing but we’re not going to tell you, and here’s why.’ My belief over all of these 35 years… almost 40 years of being a journalist, has always been if you’re transparent with the viewers or the readers, listeners, if you’re honest with them, you tell them why you’re making these decisions, they’ll accept that.”

“It’s only when you try to conceal something and mislead or whatever, that you get into journalistic, ethical trouble. But if you’re honest with them, they’ll appreciate it.”

“Over the years, there have not been many cases where we’ve suppressed information for national security considerations. There have been times… but it almost always has to be ‘lives are at stake.’”

“My advice is, be honest. It’s the same advice your parents gave you when you were in kindergarten; honesty is the best policy. Tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth.”