Mediasweep: Should a newspaper lie to save lives?

Is it ever acceptable for a newspaper to knowingly and intentionally print a false story? Even if it might help police stop a convicted murderer from killing more people?

That, in a nutshell, is a question behind one of the big controversies inside the media the past couple of weeks. One year ago, the Eastside Journal (since folded into the King County Journal) published a story about a fake arson, staged by firefighters. Police needed a newspaper clipping to prove to Steven Sherer that a murder plot he concocted from behind bars had worked.

• See the P-I story, detailing the facts of the case.
• The Seattle Times report emphasized the ethical questions.
• The Journal's own story lays out the circumstances and explains its decision.
• Philip Dawdy's piece in Seattle Weekly, condemning the Journal's action, is typical of the reaction in journalism circles nationwide.
• In his Friday column, Robert L. Jamieson Jr. notes that chief prosecutor Norm Maleng, who claims he knew nothing of the deal, is also against it.
• In his Sunday column, Times executive editor Mike Fancher points out both the P-I and the Times both did something similar 25 years ago.