A couple of years ago, New York Times business reporter Kurt Eichenwald stumbled upon a porn site run by an underage boy named Justin Berry and became obsessed with saving him. New York magazine this week has a really sad story by David France about how the journalist's (surprisingly successful) crusade to save the boy basically ruined his own career. It's a really dicey situation. On one hand, Eichenwald is a hero for getting this boy out of the kiddie-porn world. On the other hand, his methods were pretty sketchy. To win the boy's support, Eichenwald posed as a rabid fan, sent him more than $2,000 and arranged a meeting.
France reports: Finally, on June 30, Berry flew to LAX and met his benefactor. Eichenwald, who had flown in from Dallas, he demanded to see Berry's license, which proved he was weeks away from his 19th birthday, and handed over a copy of his newest book, proof he was a reporter, not a fan at all.
But these revelations didn't stop the rescue mission. Eichenwald explains that Berry was high on drugs when he arrived, sick to his stomach, and desperately thin-109 pounds, though he was six-foot-one. That afternoon, and the next morning, Eichenwald talked to Berry about self-respect and the fragility of the soul. He extracted a promise to go cold turkey.
Then Eichenwald wrote a rather un-Timesy story for the New York Times about Berry's porn career. The article referred to the boy as "Justin," flaunting the paper's style guide, and cast the author as the boy's savior. Media critics attacked the reporter. Others celebrated his efforts, and he made the talk-show rounds. There were some prosecutions. And ultimately Eichenwald appears to have had some kind of nervous breakdown.
What we can't help wondering is what would have happened if Eichenwald, by all accounts a really talented investigative reporter, had maintained his journalistic distance and reported on the industry without getting caught up in this "Catcher in the Rye" crusade? Couldn't he theoretically have saved lots more people that way without compromising himself so much? Or does having any contact at all with this industry corrupt? It does seem like a hard thing to write about with detachment.
Read the full New York magazine story here.
What do you think? Was Eichenwald right or wrong in his desire to save Berry, and in the way he went about it?
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. Why didn't Eichenwald just turn this info over to the cops? He still could've written a story.
I fear this is yet another in a long line of media types who try to cash in on stories by inserting themselves in them and/or making up facts so they can be the first to report.
Michele at 1:33PM on Oct 29th 2007
2. SOMETIMES, THE ONLY THING TO SAY THAT MAKES SENSE IS
THERE IS NO GOD !
Daniel Mullane at 1:35PM on Oct 29th 2007
3. Michele, I didn't get the feeling that Mr. Eichenwald wanted to insert himself in this story to cash in. Of course, it is your opinion and I do respect it.
What I don't understand is why there have been "media critics," why there had been attacks, and why this story has destroyed Mr. Eichenwald's career. I assume a lot of pressure. I also think that someone should have started the investigation, even using "sketchy" methods (are there "un-sketchy" methods to penetrate this kind of shady world and earn the kid's trust, I wonder?) And the authorities have been called, FBI, etc. and arrests made. Then why Mr. Eichenwald should be attacked is beyond me. I am sorry for him and I also hope that soon he will recover from the nervous breakdown, and that he'll continue his career.
Yes, I agree, this kind of profession (investigative reporter) faces risks. That's why I respect those who are into it. And let's not forget that nobody is perfect, except gods, and not even gods (I heard!)
Anyway, Mr. Eichenwald's article is an eye-opener. My friend has two teens and there is an open war in their household ref. the use of the laptops, time online, issues of privacy, issues of what's going on in the Court of Mirages, which is Internet. Are parents too controlling, causing mutiny, or too lax, running the Risk a la Justin? Open for debate, people! Good luck, Mr. Eichenwald.
Doina
Doina at 2:52PM on Oct 29th 2007
4. There is not enough investigative reporting, too much outside and hearsay news. It took 2 investigative reporters and a writer to catch Richard Nixon in the WaterGate scandal.
David McCool at 3:27PM on Oct 29th 2007
5. Here's the thing Ada. There are two kinds of people in the media. Example: There is the professional mountain climber who likes to write from time-to- time; and then there is the professional writer who likes to climb mountains from time-to-time.
Personaly, I give the professional mountain climber all the credibility when the books and articles are written.
willet at 3:30PM on Oct 29th 2007
6. While I don't like this reporter's methods necessarily, it appears the boy got the help he needed.
But having read the article, this youngster ran this site out of his home while his mother "thought he was doing his homework." One has to question what supervision she was providing, and shows that some teen-agers (most I think) do not need a computer in their bedrooms.
David S. at 5:09PM on Oct 29th 2007
7. If the boy was 19 he wasn't under age. So what's the deal?
I applaud Eichenwald's effort to help the kid. But his objectiveness was definitely compromised, IMO.
Linda at 5:35PM on Oct 29th 2007
8. Screw the "media critics". They're whores; all of 'em. The only thing that matters in a reporter's story is, did he or she get the facts straight? Are they factually and contextually accurate? Do they fairly represent the reality seen from the reporter's standpoint and do they synthesize the sources input correctly? All else is BS. And if Eichenwald is smart, he'll keep writing. The kind of people he's writing about can't stand scrutiny. To them it's like sunshine to a vampire.
! at 9:34PM on Oct 29th 2007
9. I worked at a school that a separate teacher cafeteria one morning I happen to slip in when everyone else had left. One of the workers was feeding her 19 year old son breakfast. He was painfully thin and had in tow his, 5mth pregnant girlfriend. He was a sex worker taking male tricks under the elevated subway line in Philadelphia to support his habit. His mother love and compassion made me tear up as she bid him farewell not knowing whether he would return to her HIV infected , beat up or dead. I watched her love her son by feeding him and telling him to be safe. That whenever he was ready to be clean she would be there . She handled him a bag with lunch for himself and his pregnant girlfriend. What's wrong with showing compasssion. Somebody has to but care into action.
wordologist at 11:43PM on Oct 29th 2007
10. There Definitely Is A GOD! When The Time Of Judgement Cometh, Those Of Good Deed and Spirit Shall Be Rewarded. Accept JESUS CHRIST As Your LORD And SAVIOUR.
Instantly Turn your Computer into a Super TV!
http://www.television-on-internet.com/
JC at 2:28AM on Oct 30th 2007
11.
"THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS IS FOOLISHNESS TO THOSE WHO ARE PERISHING, BUT TO US WHO ARE BEING SAVED IT IS THE POWER OF GOD."
1 CORINTHIANS, CHAP 1
Mr Peanut at 8:50AM on Oct 30th 2007
12. I am sorry to say that I have seen this industry from the inside, and I can see why this reporter got caught up in a personal way. It is a rough industry in many ways, despite both outsiders' and insiders' efforts to regulate it.
The truth is that a great percentage of people who get involved are people in need of "saving". Drug habits, self-esteem issues, no better resources, desperate circumstances, all lead people down this path. And unless they can handle what is happening to them, they become simply grist for the mill.
The "top" of the porn industry (publications and movies)chews 'em up and spits 'em out, so imagine how horribly predatory the bottom is... Even feature and club dancers (who occupy a niche that has more regulation and control than most and seems relatively harmless) often fall prey to the big alcohol, drug and physical abuse issues that go with a career in the clubs.
Certainly, the reporter might have employed more "professional" methods. Certainly, he might have just "called the cops"... But he was concerned that if he did, that boy would be lost.
That child was dying. Someone should have stepped in much sooner. A parent. A school. A church. A friend. An organization. The state.
It was instead left to this stranger to perform a human act, and he is being penalized for it. It's true that "No good deed goes unpunished"...
Lionruby at 9:28AM on Oct 30th 2007
13. Funny that on his 18th birthday Justin Berry changed automatically from victim to perpetrator. I think that line is in reality not so finely drawn.
Whenever society discovers something that disgusts, it swings a long sword that chops down anything it touches. 150 years? Did he molest Justin? Is that worth 150 years? Really? Tim Richards faces 220 years. Is it possible that he was given that tape with the reporters collusion? That is a big question. He was 23 years old, just 5 years from 'victimhood' himself. Remember, Justin was an adult over the entire course of the reporters investigation.
You will all forget about this. When you wake up it will all be gone.
tom at 12:21PM on Oct 30th 2007
14. Call me picky, but I don’t think Kurt Eichenwald should get brownie points for getting Justin Berry out of the porn business when all of the evidence indicates that it was Eichenwald who put him back in.
From the very beginning (January, 2006) people questioned Eichenwald’s story about Berry because of the fact that Berry did not go back into the porn business until June 19, 2005, less than two weeks before Eichenwald “rescued” him.
When you throw in the payments to Berry, the verifiable evidence is damning:
1. Early June, 2005: Eichenwald begins making contact with Berry. At this time and Berry has been out of the internet porn business for over six months.(Source: Justin Berry’s prepared Congressional Committee Testimony). [From David France’s article it appears that at this time Berry was living with Greg Mitchel as his “boy toy”, yucky, but not illegal since Berry was 18.]
2. June 6 – 7 2005: Eichenwald sends Berry $314 through PayPal using the name fake name “Andrew McDonald”. (Source: subpoenaed PayPal records made public by court order. Although Kurt Eichenwald admits to making these payments he claims to have no independent recollection of the circumstances under which they were made. However the notes attached to the payments clearly show that Eichenwald was either buying graphic images of Justin Berry or pretending to buy graphic images of Justin Berry. In addition, in the note attached to the payment made at 7:34 a.m. on June 7, 2005, Eichenwald tells Berry, “I have other proposals for you that will get you even more money.” What were these proposals? Eichenwald can’t remember!)
June 8, 2005: Eichenwald sends Berry a cashiers check for $2000. (Eichenwald has admitted this on many occasions)
June 19, 2005: Justin Berry reactivates his dormant website justinsfriends.com.(Source: Court testimony of US Department of Justice Assistant to the Chief for Computer Forensics, James Fottrell in the case of U.S. v. Richards.)
It is impossible to believe that it is mere coincidence that Justin Berry went back online a few days after receiving significant payments from Kurt Eichenwald, particularly since Eichenwald has made every effort to obscure the sequence of events. An honest examination of Eichenwald’s original story shows that he deliberately obscured the sequence of events in order to make it appear that Berry was still in the internet porn business at the time Eichenwald discovered him. In fact, in every appearance Eichenwald continues to imply that this is the case, although he knows it to be untrue.
To this day Eichenwald has refused to explain why Justin Berry went back into the porn business immediately after receiving Eichenwald’s money. And no one in the media seems to have the guts to ask him directly to his face.
James at 3:38PM on Oct 30th 2007
15. There Definitely Is A GOD! When The Time Of Judgement Cometh, Those Of Good Deed and Spirit Shall Be Rewarded. Accept JESUS CHRIST As Your LORD And SAVIOUR.
Instantly Turn your Computer into a Super TV!
http://www.television-on-internet.com/
JC at 6:21PM on Oct 30th 2007