A Difficult Lesson : Decision on Whether It Was Proper to Report on Ashe’s Medical Condition Remains an Important Topic of Discussion for the Media, Observers

Arthur Ashe called that tearful day in April 1992 his “outing.” And although he took pains in his memoirs to say he understood the reasoning of the journalists involved, his bitterness was evident and without apology.

The journalists were doing their jobs. His life--he died Feb. 6, 1993--was never the same.

“I know there are trade-offs in life,” Ashe wrote in a Washington Post column soon after specific queries from USA Today prompted him, he said, to announce that he had AIDS. USA Today did not run the story until Ashe made his announcement, but Ashe said that once a major paper had begun the reporting process, his secret was bound to be publicly revealed.

“I understand the press has a watchdog role in the maintenance of our freedoms and to expose corruption,” Ashe said. “But, the process whereby news organizations make distinctions seems more art than science. I wasn’t then, and am not now, comfortable with being sacrificed for the sake of the ‘public’s right to know.’ . . . “

Four-and-a-half years and countless media self-examinations later, the Ashe story still reverberates through the intertwining communities of sports and journalism. Although there was a small circle of journalists who knew of Ashe’s condition and did not report it, the actions of USA Today stirred up the larger questions.

“Arthur Ashe may have been kind of the turning point at which we started to realize that these are not no-brainer calls, that these kinds of stories cause us to make some serious judgments,” said Jay Black, the ethics chairman of the Society of Professional Journalists.

“And I’ve seen some evidence that some judgment is being used. I think I’m seeing more signs that editors are figuring it out now, and it may be AIDS is now more commonly understood than it was.

“It doesn’t seem like Tommy Morrison hesitated [announcing he had tested HIV-positive] for a minute, and it doesn’t look like he was beaten up by the media for it.”

For the USA Today reporter involved in the Ashe story, Doug Smith, a lifelong friend of Ashe but not among those who had known previously of Ashe’s illness, the fact that Ashe became such a symbol and spokesman for AIDS awareness is perhaps the best answer.

“I think the issue’s always been privacy,” Smith said. “I think the issue would be the same regardless of what the disease is, except in this case it was so highly emotional, people were so afraid of it, people saw his pain and I think they could empathize about him wanting to keep it private.

“I don’t think I’ve had any other assignment that was more emotionally charged, I suppose. But, in retrospect, after I saw what he did with his life after he announced that he had AIDS, I think somehow it was not only an appropriate thing to do, it was the best thing to do.”

Beyond Ashe’s contributions, experts argue that there should be more solid ground rules about such stories--USA Today’s own policy was that it would not print such a story without on-the-record confirmation from either Ashe or someone very close to him.

Gene Policinski, the assistant to the president of Freedom Forum, a foundation that deals with 1st Amendment issues, was USA Today’s managing editor for sports during the Ashe story.

“I look at it as a newsman,” Policinski said, adding that he wasn’t thinking about the politics or the safety issues. “I really can’t be moved by those agendas. That goes too far afield for me. I think anybody whose life is in danger of ending abruptly is an element of news. That is the stuff of news.

“I do feel, frankly, that the bulk of the flap simply revolved around the fact that Arthur was just such a great guy and people were very upset that he was ill, they were upset by all of the statistics that we had that he would die in a relatively short time and a lot of frustration came out against the messenger.

“I have some issue with people saying we prompted him. I don’t think we did. I think what we did was provide a point at which he knew he had to make a decision, that sort of benchmark.”

Black says editors have to look beyond whether such a story is news, and into the deeper implications.

“The professional knee-jerk reaction is, ‘We have the right to print it, so we will,’ ” Black said. “That’s where we have to stop and think. There are certain stories where it’s more beneficial to society not to print.

“I don’t want to sound like a red-light journalist, but in reality, when we know telling the truth will cause more harm than good, we ought to hesitate for a while.”

Tony Daly, the Clippers’ team physician and someone who has worked with many high-profile athletes, says professional athletes have to understand the reality of the spotlight.

“You give up some privacy when you become a star or a would-be star,” Daly said. “I think you have to accept that.”

David Protess, who teaches a law and ethics class at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in Evanston, Ill., points out that as these stories emerge, everything is decided case by case, editor by editor.

There are safety factors (Is the athlete active in a contact sport?), and news factors (Has his performance declined because of the disease?) that mix into the decision.

“For me, the standard is relevance,” Protess said. “And if it doesn’t meet the criteria, you don’t print. I think we’re moving in that direction. I think it’s because we are, as journalists, being forced to the direction by an increasingly indignant public that does not like excesses in journalism.

“If it’s HIV-positive, I just don’t see any compelling need to let the public know about that, if it’s only being revealed just to titillate the public, not inform them.

“I found in the last few years that my students are reflecting the trend in public thinking toward being far more conservative and cautious in the private lives of public people. There’s increasing rage toward journalism excesses, and I think that’s good when you think that these students will adopt those values when they’re working professionals.”