Paying witnesses for news - a good thing?

"I said from the very beginning that I was not going to pay," Oprah Winfrey told the American magazine TV Guide, referring to her refusal to pay Monica Lewinsky to appear on her show.
Lewinsky's representatives had offered Oprah Monica's first television appearance. Negotiations came to an end after discussions on who would own the rights to the tape. Oprah Winfrey's refusal to pay seems unique in a media world where chequebook journalism is a fact of life. Roseanne Barr offered Monica more than a million dollars. On Larry King Live she explained, "I'm not a journalist. Fortunately for me, I have no integrity." Unfortunately for Barr, Monica declined on the offer.
Talk show guests and celebrities aren't the only ones paid to appear in front of the camera. Think of all the good documentaries you've seen. Chances are some of those witnesses got paid as well, although few documentary makers will admit this. Belgian documentary maker Lode Desmet has spilled the beans- and for nothing.
Have you ever paid anyone to appear in front of a camera?
Lode Desmet: "Well, not with money. But there have been times when I asked myself whether I was doing the right thing. Right now I'm working on a documentary about a Kurd who lives in Germany. He's an engineer who came to Germany more than ten years ago. He hasn't been able to find a job there and he wants to go back to his family in Northern Iraq. Normally he would have gone back by plane. He would rather go back by car, like other Kurds do. Only it's more expensive to go back by car. We offered to help him buy the car he needs to get back. So in a way, yes, we are paying him."
Do you feel you're misleading the people who see the documentary?
"I've had my doubts about whether this was ethical or not. Not only about giving him the money for the car. Also about changing the original situation. If we weren't making the documentary, he would have gone back by plane."
"On the other hand we are telling the truth about that certain group of people. There are a lot of Kurds who go back to Northern Iraq by car. So whether or not this Kurd would have or not, is not really important. What's important is that people see this story and realise there are people going through things like this."
You've filmed a lot in poor countries. Do people expect to be paid?
"I think people in, for example, Sri Lanka or Africa see T.V, as a commercial product, even more so than we do. We have these ideals about journalism being the watchdog of democracy. They don't because a lot of times they only see two types of television. The station owned by the ones in power, who use it for propaganda, and maybe some American soaps like Dallas."
"Another thing is, because you're a foreigner they expect you to be rich. We're taking something from them by filming them. They expect something in return. We're there to make a programme that will eventually be sold all over the world."
TV is essentially just another economic product and the witnesses are part of the resources.
"That's basically what it comes down to. There are so many T.V.-stations. They all try to get the highest viewing figures. They all want the best witnesses."
"TV doesn't appeal to as many people as it used to. People used to jump at the chance of being on television. It's not like that anymore."
How do you feel about this development?
"It has its dangers. Often people aren't themselves in front of a camera. When they receive money for it, they might be even more likely to act differently. When I was younger, I had a rule for myself I would stick to no matter what. I would never ever organise anything in front of my camera."
And when you got older...
"I saw people making excellent documentaries. They organised some of the events though. I wanted to make good documentaries too. Now I sometimes make a few small concessions so the documentary will be better."
So basically the end justifies the means?
"Something like that, yes. But it's also a question of time and money. Every day of filming for a documentary costs a fortune. You can't sit around waiting for things to happen. Sometimes you have to make them happen. It's not easy to draw the line between what's organised and what isn't."
Ann-Marie Cordia