Press Pressure Compromising Law Enforcement Operations
Constant, aggressive pressure from news representatives on public officials to disclose investigation details impacted police decision-making, as the department sought to maintain satisfactory relations with reporters and cultivate a positive public image of their handling of the assassination response.
Veiled Press Threats Over Oswald Custody Allegations
One or two press representatives made veiled, unjustified threats to the police, implying the department had brutalized Oswald in custody, and stated these unsubstantiated claims would be shared with the public if reporters were not granted access to view him.
Shared Responsibility for Oswald Death and Law Enforcement Failures
The Commission finds both the Dallas Police Department (for failing to impose appropriate, orderly conditions for press interaction) and the news media (for its lack of self-discipline and disregard for the requirements of a fair justice process) share responsibility for the law enforcement failures that resulted in Lee Harvey Oswald’s death.
News Editors’ Misgivings Regarding Press Conduct in Dallas
At their April 1964 annual meeting, members of the American Society of Newspaper Editors expressed strong misgivings about the press’s conduct in Dallas in the immediate aftermath of the assassination, and voiced a commitment to demonstrating greater self-discipline and adhering to higher professional standards in future reporting.
Call for Formal News Media Code of Professional Conduct
The Commission calls for the promulgation of a formal, binding code of professional conduct governing all news media representatives, stating such a code would serve as evidence the press had learned from the mistakes of its conduct in Dallas following the assassination.
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