ABSTRACT
U.S. journalists like to portray themselves as the watchdogs of democracy and the public good. American journalists, as a body, basked vicariously in the glory of Woodward and Bernstein's investigative work uncovering the Watergate scandal. Ethical issues invariably arise within the context of professional routines, and it is by abiding by those routines that journalists have won their success and professional recognition. Many of the major ethical issues center around the advent of new technologies and new data-gathering techniques, especially those relating to television. In terms of public scrutiny of an ongoing media event, the intifada presented a best-case scenario. Both the Israelis and the Palestinians had vocal supporters in Washington with easy access to the media. The modern media has changed the David-Goliath equation by arming the underdog with the means to elicit international sympathy and, at times, direct assistance.
