Smith: Secret Taping ‘Unethical’ In Idaho

HBO Question: Would you condone a reporter or a columnist secretly taping a news source to gather information for a story or column?

SR Editor Steve Smith : Doing so in Idaho would be unethical. We would not condone it and it is, in fact, against policy. In Washington, it’s also illegal. There is no disputing that. Any exception in Idaho would be tied to extraordinary circumstances and require the editor’s explicit approval and fall under our deception clause which establishes clear criteria for such an action.