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A New York Post reporter recently obtained an interview with Michael Devlin, the suspect currently in custody for the alleged kidnappings of both Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby. Devlin's attorneys, Michael Kielty and Ethan Corlija, criticized the jail security for allowing the media access to Devlin.
"There was a standing order that no media was allowed in to see my client," Kietly told the Associated Press. However, the Post correspondent resorted to other means of gaining the interview.
"The reporter, Susannah Cahalan, told jail officials that she was a friend of Devlin's when she went for a visit around 11 a.m. Friday, Toelke said. She filled out the visiting request form and wrote 'friend' in the relationship section," he told AP. While Devlin's attorneys are obviously upset regarding the violated security, Franklin County, Mo., Sheriff Gary Toelke, said, "an inmate can accept or decline media requests, and in this case, Devlin accepted."
While it appears that Devlin's lawyers should have more clearly communicated with their client, reporters are always held ethically accountable for their professionalism.
Journalists should always identify themselves as reporters at the start of an interview. That is one of the first things you learn when training to be a reporter. To not do so is unethical and weakens credibility of the reporter and the newspaper she is reporting for. If Cahalan intended to interview Devlin upon her visit, she should have indicated that in the visiting request form, rather than deceitfully gaining access and then conducting her interview. In this instance we believe the reporter was definitely in the wrong, as her interview with Devlin was based on false pretenses.
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