Who do Journalists Work For?

This is an interesting question that has come up many times as I have studied journalism. In the beginning of my career at BYU, I was taught that a journalist's charge is to find the truth and report it. I have been taught the the most important loyalty I have is with the American public. However, as I have seen more and more examples in the history of journalism, I realize that there are instances in which journalists must choose between their loyalty to the public and their loyalty to other interests, such as their employers.

Journalistic integrity is key to credibility, and most organizations know that. However, in a very famous instance, a huge network had to choose between telling the whole story or saving their own face. As depicted in the 1999 film The Insider, CBS faced a big dilemma. Either run a potentially detrimental story about Big Tobacco, and potentially get bought out by Brown and Williamson Tobacco. Lowell Bergman, played by Al Pacino, rails against CBS for their decision to not run an interview with an important insider formerly employed by Brown and Williamson.

Here is a clip from the film:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIjpP-XngKA

If its newsworthy and important to the American public, shouldn't we be thorough in our coverage, even if it means possible hazard to the company we work for?

I think each situation is different. If there is any shadow of doubt on such a sensitive story, I personally would be cautious in running the story.

Another example of a sensitive situation is provided below:
http://blog.oregonlive.com/oregonianopinion/2008/01/sandra_duffy_journalisms_first.html

In that situation, journalism as a check and balance for the government, in my opinion, would be of utmost importance.

So who do journalists work for? The answer: citizens AND their employers. The latter cannot ever be taken out of the equation. Caution is important.