“The Journalist and the Murderer” Book Review (Essay Sample)

“The Journalist and the Murderer” Book Review Name Institutional Affiliation Professor Course Date “The Journalist and the Murderer” Book Review Janet Malcolm's book “The Journalist and the Murderer" takes a bold step to the root of the ethical concerns at the bottom of journalistic practice. She questions journalism's prevailing notions of trust, truth, and morality. In her research, Malcolm claims that journalists take advantage of their subjects as they act like they are showing empathy and objectivity. However, it is a mask and journals that betray the trust of their subjects. The same statement is made in Gene Weingarten's work when he explains moments when the media was implicated in dishonesty meant to boost sales and self-interest. Inline, the review of Errol Morris's book also contributes to the discussion by examining power relationships in high-profile cases such as that of Jeffrey MacDonald. As a result, Malcolm's opening statement, “Every journalist who is not too stupid or too full of himself to notice what is going on knows that what he does is morally indefensible.” operates as a powerful reminder of the ethical burdens borne by journalists and the moral dilemmas they have to confront while chasing truth and narrating stories. Janet Malcolm's claim receives support with her scrutiny of the case of Jeffrey MacDonald and Joe McGinniss. McGinniss shows himself as a colleague of MacDonald but deceives everyone believing in him when he later writes "Fatal Vision," betraying his trust. Thus, trust is the means the journalists take but wrongfully use for their goals (Malcolm, 2011). One of the ethical dilemma’s journalists are faced with is embodied in that particular way, as seen in her assertion that in this manner, journalism carried out in this manner is morally indefensible. In short, this case clearly shows the complicated duty journalists have to perform. Weingarten's work helps introduce additional ethical issues that a journalist can face and adds weight to Malcolm's argument. He identifies scenarios where the lust for sensationalism led journalists, at the expense of ethics, to use unethical techniques like fabricating interviews or slanting narratives for purposeful manipulations (Evernote, 2023). These disclosures are evidence of the prevalence of ethics dilemmas for journalists. The restatement of the claim thus also repeats what Malcolm declares as journalism is not ethically valid. Weninger's analysis shows the efficiency between journalistic practice and moral issues while seeking sensational stories. In his book review, Morris takes it a step further by analyzing the details of the MacDonald case, giving insight into the power relations that underlie its representation. Morris is the one who challenges the accepted version of the narrative by proclaiming that McDonald's might be innocent and that journalists and prosecutors have a decisive influence on shaping public perception (Kennedy, 2013). Morris discusses the ethical dilemmas associ...