Betraying trust of sources harmful to all media

Words aren’t dangerous. It’s the intent behind them where the potential explosiveness rests. But since there’s never unfiltered access to an individual’s heart and soul, there’s never any way of knowing the true intention of regrettable comments.

So those entrusted with informing the world must administer the proper degree of perspective when those unsavory words hit public light.

The media failed miserably in the matter of Nick Saban’s insensitivity to Louisiana’s Cajun community.

The credibility of our profession is always under scrutiny, but when “off the record” no longer becomes a sacred creed, then our ability to seek truth and accuracy become compromised.

There’s no condoning Saban’s poor judgment. He used a term many in Louisiana deem offensive toward Cajuns while having a private conversation with three Miami Dolphins beat writers Jan. 3 – the day after he accepted the Alabama head coaching position.

People who even glance at fame must be careful about where they go, what they do and what they say in these more intrusive times. There’s no telling where a camera cell phone lurks, and before you know it, there’s a condemning video spreading like a wild fire on the Internet.

Saban didn’t help matters with his “explanation” for the comment, insisting he was merely reciting a story told to him from an unnamed member of the LSU board of trustees. He seemed to pass the buck instead of stepping up and saying he was wrong. He apologized to anybody who was offended.

But the bigger travesty was a Miami Herald reporter’s role in turning a private moment into a public spectacle. Although the reporter respected Saban’s “off-the-record” wishes and never reported the exchange in the Herald, he e-mailed an audio clip of the comment to a local sports talk show host, believing Saban’s request for secrecy would be respected.

The reporter apologized for his poor judgment, but his indiscretion could provide coaches and athletes who loathe dealing with the media more ammunition to justify their seclusion from public scrutiny. Protecting off-the-record information is essential to cultivate the valuable sources who provide depth and context to a story.

It’s disappointing because situations like this make it easier for the media-bashers, painting all of us in one broad stroke as an industry more interested in “gotcha” journalism.

Public figures should be held accountable for their deeds, but the extent to which we’re slapping folks with their own words borders on the ridiculous.