Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comment on this quote Share via Email Print this Page [1-2] of 2 Fairness quotesFairness QuotesFairness If some people had wings and others didn't, and the government wanted to enforce "fairness," soon no one would have wings. Because wings cannot be redistributed, they can only be broken. Likewise, a government edict cannot make people smarter or more capable, but it can impede the growth of those with the potential. Wouldn't it be fair if, in the name of equality, we scar the beautiful, cripple the athletes, lobotomize the scientists, blind the artists, and sever the hands of the musicians? Why not?~ Oleg Atbashian I practice journalism in accordance with the following guidelines: • Do nothing I cannot defend. • Do not distort, lie, slant or hype. • Do not falsify facts or make up quotes. • Cover, write and present every story with the care I would want if the story were about me. • Assume there is at least one other side or version to every story. • Assume the viewer is as smart and caring and good a person as I am. • Assume the same about all people on whom I report. • Assume everyone is innocent until proven guilty. • Assume personal lives are a private matter until a legitimate turn in the story mandates otherwise. • Carefully separate opinion and analysis from straight news stories and clearly label it as such. • Do not use anonymous sources or blind quotes except on rare and monumental occasions. No one should ever be allowed to attack another anonymously. • Do not broadcast profanity or the end result of violence unless it is an integral and necessary part of the story and/or crucial to its understanding. • Acknowledge that objectivity may be impossible but fairness never is. • Journalists who are reckless with facts and reputations should be disciplined by their employers. • My viewers have a right to know what principles guide my work and the process I use in their practice. • I am not in the entertainment business. ~ Jim Lehrer Share on Facebook Tweet Email Print