THE TROUBLE WITH TRANSPARENCY

This article argues for a more complex understanding of how the ethic of transparency is used within American journalism. Following the ethical theories of Jürgen Habermas and Michel Foucault, it suggests that transparency has become central to debates about identity formation, disputes over professional jurisdiction, and how journalists have come to cover political events. Recognizing the complex role that transparency plays within journalism, it calls for the articulation of an ethical framework that sees transparency less as an instrumental value and more as a normative goal.