Some thoughts on the death of NOTW

Bob Choi

15 July 2011

I have not followed the details on NOTW but on the surface it appeared that NOTW obtained information in ways that are improper or illegal. There are yet no indications that the information they obtained is inaccurate or misleading.

Illegal wiretapping and buying of information are commonly practiced by government agencies such as the CIA and police departments all around the world, but when an investigative reporter such as NOTW does this, people condemn it.

Where should we draw a balance between getting to the truth and following proper/legal procedures? If a certain piece of information is important for the public to know, will it ever be justified for a reporter to get to this information through improper or illegal means? Simply put, will the ends justify the means?

The person(s) who blew the whistle on SARS in China were persecuted by the government because they leaked out information that was considered "state secrets". The same happened in the melamine milk-scam and the shoddy construction of school buildings. Are these whistle blowers criminals or heroes? Think about it.

The world today is changing and evolving so much so that it's becoming harder and harder for us to say categorically that "thou shalt not lie, thou shalt not steal" or even "thou shalt not kill..." The world is never meant to be in black and white. It contains a large grey area in which the long-held moral codes are constantly being challenged...

Is it alright to lie or steal if it will serve a common good or noble cause? Is euthanasia an act of human companion or unlawful killing? Questions like these abound and there are no easy answers. I hope the death of NOTW will not spell the end of investigative reporting, but only to reaffirm that there should be a balance between the public's right to know and personal privacy.