Pushing Back: Media rights in unwanted places

Anna Connors
Managing Editor, the North Star

In journalism, the phrase “off the record” is not a common term. These unwanted words belong between the whispering lips of close friends and in the privacy of closed meetings. They do not however, belong in the Indiana Memorial Union’s Whittenberger Auditorium this past Tuesday in front of a public audience that got in for free. Why then, were they there?

Meghan O’Sullivan, President Bush’s former deputy national security advisor was scheduled to speak that night about recent events concerning the Iraq War. However, a glitch between the people who invited O’Sullivan and the Indiana Daily Student (IDS) took place. O’Sullivan ended up withdrawing from the presentation claiming she wasn’t feeling well and there was a violation of her agreement to speak only “off the record.”

Throughout the past week numerous features and public-written editorials have been pointing fingers in all directions trying to show which organization caused this distress. But equally important in this issue are the rights at stake from lectures like this. The fact is that O’Sullivan had no legal right to control what media outlets were used doing her lecture. And because of the request, the media almost had an obligation to be there.

“Off the record” is something a journalist can either accept or ignore. And the public has absolutely no responsibility. Herald Times (HT) writer, James Boyd, even admits that the HT was planning on covering the event despite the request. And IDS editor-in-chief, Carrie Ritchie, said it was ridiculous to think that anything O’Sullivan said would stay within the auditorium.

The ethics of the request was just one problem surrounding IU’s first planned off-the-record speech. When the presenter runs no risk of being repeated, what is the incentive to even be honest? Our First Amendment rights give the freedom in this situation, to the press. A “private” public speech is just the oxymoron it sounds like.

If all former government workers went off the record how could the press ever serve their watchdog purposes? Why even speak if you don’t want to be heard? Off-the-record is a different breed of confidentiality since it doesn’t protect identity. If nothing can be repeated, how are facts checked, would anything she could possibly say legitimately mean anything to anyone? Welcome to the new “no liability” presentation. Drop your rights at the door.