Can we attack human rights icons?

Can journalists criticize human rights icons ? For years this question has been confronting many reporters and columnists covering such epic battles as the fight against apartheid or the struggle for democracy in Latin America or the former Soviet Union.
Can journalists take the risk of undermining campaigns for freedom and give comfort to the enemy (the authoritarian regimes) by revealing the “bad side” of human rights defenders’character or by exposing tensions or even corruption inside democratic opposition movements?
The London-based liberal daily The Guardian has been feeling the heat recently after the publication of an article on Aung San Suu Kyi, the symbol of Burmese opposition to military rule and the laureate of the Nobel Peace and Sakharov Prizes. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/11/burma-aung-san-suu-kyi
The title of the article signed by Cathy Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy on November 11 was not meant to be invisible nor uncontroversial : “Aung San Suu Kyi: Not such a hero after all”. Based on (mostly) anonymous sources and excluding opinions that contradict its main thesis, the article describes the “silence” of the world’s most famous political prisoner while Burma suffers from a context of increased repression and economic meltdown. Referring to her apparent drift into spirituality, highlighting her “arrogance” and elitism, the authors bluntly conclude : “Her failure to react to recent key crises means that many of her followers now question her ability to lead the fight against the military junta”. “Some in the party are asking whether it is time to move on from Aung San Suu Kyi”.
Reactions have been immediate, some “commending this unusual frank reporting”, others like famous progressive journalist John Pilger, slamming “this odious article that belongs to the gutter”.

The ethical dilemma
A reflection on journalism ethics is required. It must bring together, on the one hand, the commitment to truth-seeking, i.e. the seriousness of journalism in terms of accuracy, diversity of sources and balance in interpreting them, and on the other hand, the sense of responsibility, the awareness of the negative consequences of partial or reckless reporting on the Burmese people's aspiration for democracy.
Obviously, covering the fight for freedom and relaying human rights defenders’ battles should not be an excuse for suppressing inconvenient truths (Such concessions to “the cause” at the expense of the principles of journalism have often lead to disillusion or even worse). But it should inspire journalists to apply the highest standards of their profession, double check sources, widen the net of contradictory opinions and apply caution in drawing conclusions.



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