After 37 years as a professional journalist, Diane Rehm has built a hefty portfolio of both professional and personal experience. She shared how the two can come into conflict at the Walter Cronkite School on Thursday.
Rehm’s white hair stood stark against a black backdrop as she welcomed a curious crowd of aspiring, current and former journalists to pick her brain.
Rehm hosts “The Diane Rehm Show” on National Public Radio and recently released a New York Times best-selling book called “On My Own.”
Her book is about her husband’s desire to end his life when his Parkinson’s disease progressed to a point that no longer felt livable. He eventually refused food and water until he died of dehydration after his requests for medically assisted suicide were denied.
The story is what brought her to Phoenix. Rehm discussed the need for balancing the ethical questions that came along with her involvement in this controversial issue.
NPR did not approve of Rehm attending advocacy dinners for medically assisted suicide support organizations.
“(NPR) felt even my presence constituted somehow a breach of journalistic ethics,” Rehm said.
Cronkite School students felt the line between personal involvement and maintaining journalistic ethics was an interesting one to explore.
“She made a really interesting point about the line between being objective in your journalism and having a cause you’re really passionate about,” student Claire Caulfield said.
Rebecca Blatt, Public Insight Network bureau chief at the Cronkite School, noted the significance of this ethics discussion.
“(When) you’re part of the community but also covering the community, where is the line for objectivity or being a participant?” Blatt said.
Balancing personal and professional life can be difficult in any line of work, but Rehm emphasized the extra care journalists must take to maintain objectivity.
However, Rehm said, when she steps down from her journalistic career, she will be more outspoken about her advocacy for the cause, though she currently upholds NPR’s wishes for her to maintain separation.
“I’m going to be so active, you’ll get so tired of me,” Rehm said.
Contact the reporter at latravis@asu.edu.
