George Rebane

Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl was brutally murdered six years ago in Pakistan by radical Islamists.  Danny was an exceptional person and the journalist who headed the newspaper’s South Asia bureau.  His father, Dr. Judea Pearl, a world-renowned computer scientist and humanitarian, wrote a memorial to his son to commemorate the anniversary of this tragedy.  In this reflection he raises to our attention facets of journalism and journalistic behavior that bear not only on how we see the world, but how reporting can and does put its mold on the world.

Journalism is a tough profession and not everyone who gets a check from a media outlet can automatically call himself a journalist.  In this piece Judea Pearl offers some important guidelines for all reporters who would be journalists.  Even we commentators and ideologically colored surveyors of the local scene may find here a point or two to ponder.  This short article may be downloaded here as a pdf. Download the_daniel_pearl_standard.pdf

(For the Record – Judea and Ruth Pearl are long-time friends of ours, and we are supporters of The Daniel Pearl Foundation.)