Sean Penn’s interview with Mexican drug czar raises legal and professional issues

The Mexican government has asked the U.S. government to look into Sean Penn’s dealings with Joaquin Guzman, head of the Sinaloa drug cartel recently re-captured by Mexican authorities. Penn traveled to Guzman’s hideaway to interview him for Rolling Stone Magazine. Legal experts think that Penn is protected under the First Amendment. (Reuters, January 12, 2016, by Mica Rosenberg and Mark Hosenball)

Penn’s interview in October may be cause for investigation but the fact that Guzman was re-captured last week could help keep Penn in the clear. To run afoul of the law Penn would have had to help Guzman evade authorities and interviewing him does nothing of that sort. (The Hollywood Reporter, January 10, 2016, by Matthew Belloni)

Kelly McBride of the The Poynter Institute, January 11, 2016, lambasts Rolling Stone for failing to give Penn the guidance and preparation to conduct a reputable interview with Guzman. She argues that Penn should have been told among other things his loyalty was to readers and to deny any request for prior review. She criticized Penn and Rolling Stone for not testing assumptions in Penn’s piece with expert opinion and for not noting that Guzman’s drug cartel has terrorized journalists.

Granting Guzman prior review is considered poor journalistic practice since it can provide an incentive to avoid unpleasant issues to win the approval of the person interviewed.  (The Washington Post, January 10, 2016, by Paul Farhi)