Group slams journalists traveling to pay NBC for interview

Tuesday 29 December, 04:35 PM NEW YORK (AP) - The Society of Professional Journalists strongly criticized NBC News for the practice "checkbook journalism" by renting a jet that moved from Brazil to the United States a man and his son after a legal dispute over custody of it. David Goldman, who won the Brazilian family of his now deceased ex-wife the legal dispute over custody of their son Sean, 9 years, gave an interview with Meredith Vieira program "Today" on NBC that was broadcast on Monday. The NBC said that Goldman was scheduled to appear on "Today" show before the station offered him the plane. The chain already had chartered the aircraft to carry their own employees to the U.S. for Christmas, said NBC News spokeswoman, Lauren Kapp. If the chain had not led the United States Goldman, one of his competitors would have done, he added. "We have covered this story exceptionally well," said the spokesman. "His trip on the plane did not affect our coverage of news, neither having scheduled, at all." NBC News told viewers who had paid for the trip back from the Goldmans. The network showed pictures of father and son in the plane and on the "Nightly News" featured a brief interview with the correspondent Jeff Rossen David Goldman when both were on the aircraft. Society of Journalists, described as the most broad sector in the U.S., NBC News said it risked its integrity with the agreement with Goldman, who lives in the state of New Jersey. "Paying for access tarnishes the credibility and neutrality of what they are doing," said Andy Schotz, chairman of the ethics committee of the society. "There are now a plea for people to help them, tell them what you want to hear." Most news organizations do not pay for interviews. But critics say that the common practice of paying for permission to use photos or videos of an item or pay someone's journey is a way around the restriction. At the same time as the society of journalists criticized NBC News for its attitude the Goldman, CNN and ABC paid for photos taken with cell phone Schuringa Jasper, the man who helped subdue an alleged terrorist who tried to shoot down a passenger plane bound for Detroit. These two TV stations Schuringa interviewed, but denied any link between payments and interviews. Average (Not Rated)