Throw the book at us, please

By today's establishment standards, WORLD must be judged unethical | Marvin Olasky

As our cover story shows, Zondervan and the International Bible Society, under pressure from the Southern Baptists and Focus on the Family, have come a long way. However, many questions remain.

One involves journalism. After WORLD first exposed the Stealth Bible project (March 29), Zondervan filed an ethics charge against WORLD with the Evangelical Press Association. I puzzled over the initial accusatory letter, for there were no specifics. It appeared we were unethical merely because we had blown the whistle, loud enough for folks to hear. I laughed off such a frivolous charge.

But then some details from a book about journalism history that I wrote a few years ago came flooding back into my mind, and Zondervan's full accusation arrived. It contained the charge that "WORLD seemed to be unconscious of its duty to protect the good names and reputations of Zondervan" and its allies. That's when I realized Zondervan was right. By the sad standards of what passes for Christian journalism in many places today, WORLD acted unethically.