Secrets, Lies, and Journalism (Takashi Higaki)
Takashi Higaki's work is something I haven't read in a while. It seems that a senior colleague at my company, whose reading recommendations I always rely on, has also read this book.
Now, regarding this book, Higaki-san uses his characteristically sharp insight to reveal the critical state of journalism.
For example, the cases introduced in "Chapter 3: Scoop or Fairness": Tomoko Yamazaki (theft of evidentiary documents), Ryuzo Saki (unauthorized copying of police documents), and Kei Kamata (undercover infiltration by concealing the intent of the interview). Knowing these facts, even though the works themselves are meaningful and highlight the socially vulnerable, it makes one think about the lack of ethics in reportage gathering, and to put it more strongly, it leaves me feeling very disappointed and pathetic.
Also, regarding the "lessons of wrongful conviction" discussed in the chapter using the Ashikaga case
as material. While anger toward the intentional actions that lead to wrongful convictions is natural, it is also a reality that unintentional wrongful convictions cannot be completely eradicated.
(Quoted from p. 135) Of course, wrongful convictions should not be permitted, but they cannot be completely eliminated. When an error is realized, one should change course quickly, and it should be made public which section's personnel, when, where, how, and why they erred in the investigation or trial maintenance. Not to pillory individual officials, but to acknowledge the error as an error, apologize to those involved, and pledge to start over together.
It is said that a certain degree of erroneous reporting actually indicates the health of journalism, but Higaki-san's point here is the importance of "apology" when an erroneous report occurs.
(Quoted from p. 179) Apology (reflection) absolutely requires three elements. 1. Sincerely expressing regret, 2. Explaining the circumstances leading to the failure in detail each time, 3. Making amends,.
In particular, the honest disclosure of the circumstances in "2." becomes a true reflection that prevents the next wrongful conviction.
Now, throughout this book, what is on Higaki-san's mind is the "raison d'être of print journalism"
. While pointing out its critical situation, he has not abandoned hope for the future.
(Quoted from p. 194) I believe that "magazine journalism will not die". This is because newspapers continue to end up in mere lip service. Reporters who cannot write their true feelings in articles accumulate frustration. That is why they provide information to weekly magazines, and even write articles anonymously themselves for magazines like "Sentaku" or "FACTA". Magazines are functioning as receptacles for information.
Of course, this book also points out the rapid expansion of free online media (sending and receiving information via the Internet). Naturally, such dramatic changes in the media environment become a major challenge for people in the conventional world of so-called journalism.
(Quoted from p. 200) In an era with many subscribers and an era with abundant advertising, one cannot continue to produce the same output as before with the same model. So, how should media and reporters survive from now on?
Higaki-san remains optimistic about this situation. I think so too. For example, since last year (Note: as of 2010), I have also registered for Twitter and have been watching the information flowing there. However, what I have felt over the past few months is that "Twitter is, after all, by its nature a 'celebrity-oriented' mechanism." The tweets of many unknown people are nothing more than monologues left unsaid in the massive flow of the timeline. The ruler of information there is the "celebrity" whom many people follow, and the basic scheme of Twitter is that their statements are diffused like a pyramid scheme while gathering small comments from a few people.
I believe that the value of a true journalist as a "connoisseur" who cuts out and presents meaningful information from the massive flow of mixed good and bad information gains even more significance precisely because of this situation.
(Note: Since the first post of this manuscript was in 2009, the situation I commented on in the last paragraph seems a bit off now (in 2022).
Today, the field of SNS, led by Twitter, has greatly expanded its base, and various SNS are creating "new celebrities." In that process, many staged videos and malicious fake news are mixed in, and I think the degree of information confusion and pollution is increasing rapidly. This is why the importance of an "information connoisseur" is becoming increasingly high.)