Gentleman's Agreement

In journalism these days, it seems that nothing is out of bounds to cover. In the mid to late 20th century, journalists were much more likely to respect a person's personal space, even in the political world. One example is that of FDR. He was not shown below the chest whenever he was photographed or put on television because he was confined to a wheelchair and showing that would make him seem more vulnerable. Today, it is much less likely to see this kind of thing. In class, we had a discussion about the "Gentleman's Agreement" in journalism. The Gentleman's Agreement is what was being followed in the case of FDR, but today it is much more rare to see this agreement in action.
With the huge number of news outlets today, there is so much more competition to be on top of every story that the Gentleman's Agreement is not always followed. For this week's post, I found an article about Barack Obama's Aunt. His aunt, Zeituni Onyango, who is Obama's deceased father's half sister, was found to be living in the United States four years after her request for asylum had been denied.
When McCain's campaign was asked for a comment on the issue, they declined except to say that it was a "family matter." This comment makes me wonder whether they are truly trying to follow the Gentleman's Agreement or if they are using it as a tool to seem much more honest and respectful than they are. With the timing of this story's release (the day before the voting) it makes me question where the story came from and how long its release was delayed.