Reporting Quietly: is it the right way to sleuth?

In many states, New York included, the consent to record an individual is one-sided — literally. Only one party needs to be aware of the recording, allowing journalists to record without any hindrance. This is an aid to these reporters, myself included: oftentimes the notion of recording may spook a source, and having the option to not mention the process is absolutely an asset.

But is it really the way to go?

As a journalist, I will always be honest in my recording: be it a phone call or a conversation in person, I will, on almost all occasions, make sure to mention to the source that I will be logging what they say. Why? Courtesy, mostly, but also to build rapport.

In my personal opinion — one evoked by the plight of Mayhill Fowler's interactions with former president Bill Clinton — is that reporters should make it apparent, or mention at the least that the recording is taking place. Even holding the recorder up, as Fowler did, is a worthy indicator.

Above all else, I find journalism to be about trust, about building a rapport. Sources that trust a journalist are more likely to return, to divulge more and to provide information. This is vital to the reporting process, a long as it remains within the realm of appropriate communication.

In this respect, I think being transparent, even in ways like this, are vital. Though this is not to say there will be instances where recording in secret may be necessary: I for one have slipped my recorder in shirt pocket and conversed as normal — if the source noticed is not for me to know, but I saw no indicator. I did this not for some form of espionage, but because the circumstances — a difficult, admittedly mean-spirited source — demanded it.

Ultimately, it comes down to the simple notion that when good communication is possible, it should be provided, as it will facilitate the process of reporting. Past that, however, the journalistic process must be upheld, and reporters, at least those in New York, can and should take the documentation into their own hands.

To me, this almost sounds like the classic Spiderman line: "With great power, comes great responsibility."

That, I can get behind.