Getting the latest scoop—the scramble for the most luscious and deliciously satisfying morsels of information—is characteristic of tabloids today. However, there is a dark line between this paparazzi mentality of trying to ferret out any potentially publishable information and professional journalism. It is an ethical journalist’s duty to report accurate information from reliable and credible sources, while still respecting the interviewee’s privacy. In the modern day and age however, personal motives have often distorted such moral standards. Though journalism is a business, and competition for the best stories will always exist, journalists must maintain upheld ethics.

The journalism industry is dominated by corporate giants. This in itself should signal a heads up to the fact that there are often mixed motives such as wealth and attention woven into the workings of the industry. Big name broadcasting stations are constantly vying for the most appealing stories. Though this may seem beneficial at first glance, the opposite effect has often occurred—stories of decreased quality obtained through unethical and underhanded ways.

Such an event occurred recently after Kanye West’s outburst at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), in which he appeared onstage during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech, grabbed the microphone out of her hands, and declared Beyoncé deserved the award for Best Female Video. The incident sparked so much widespread chatter that the topic was even brought up during a CNBC interview with President Barack Obama. When Obama was asked to share his views on the subject, he replied that West was a “jackass.” This may be an eye-catching news flash, but here’s the catch: the segment of the interview was off-the-record. It took place before the actual interview, and was part of an informal conversation that was unintended for publication. However, due to the fact that CNBC shares a network fiber line with ABC, ABC Nightline co-anchor Terry Moran overheard this part of the interview and immediately shared this information with his million-plus followers on Twitter. Needless to say, the incident quickly appeared on the Yahoo! homepage.

Though various news sources reported that Moran did not know the information was off-the-record, he could have acted differently. He was aware of the fact that the interview was being conducted with CNBC, so he should have at least confirmed the quote and checked to see whether or not it could be released. Though it would be improper to jump to conclusions, there must be a motive behind Moran’s actions. Judging by the massive uproar that followed the VMA’s regarding the incident, there is no doubt he had juicy information in his hands. Though some may come to his defense and state that he reported accurate information, his means of retrieving the information and his subsequent actions do not exhibit ethical journalistic behavior. Were his actions really even necessary at all? Sure, modern society may be slightly obsessed with pop culture, but it’s been a month since the incident and everything has pretty much died down since.

Thus, journalists must restore and uphold ethics. Journalism is a business of keeping promises and building trust, with both the interviewees and the audience. So what if the world didn’t know Obama thought Kanye was a “jackass” for stealing Taylor Swift’s microphone? Perhaps Moran felt it was an acceptable thing to do at the time, but he now faces great criticism for not verifying his information—information he wasn’t supposed to even know about. A news source really only has its credibility and reputation to rely on, and it is known all too well that trust is not easily regained after it is lost.