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Subject: Progress skips some... Author: Gwen [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: 20:19:25 03/03/06 Fri In reply to: Ned Depew 's message, "Gwen - Lynn is "involved"" on 09:10:27 03/02/06 Thu Ned, What I meant by bringing up Lynn is that she knows which Hudson Valley paper will NOT allow reporters to hold political office. Again, I do not know if this includes working on a party's fundraising etc, or if it just applied running for or being a committeeperson or candidate. The Independent, obviously, allows Jack to report for them. For a while he was referred to as a freelancer, but I think he is now listed as reporter in their paper. I haven't checked it out myself, but a friend told me that they had contacted a media ethics organization on the issue and whether or not it is ethical is judged on a case-by-case basis. In Jack's case, I am of the mind it is fine. But there are those instances when, being on the board, he is privvy to what is GOING to happen and might "leak" it to his paper. In that regard, is it fair that he is on the board and an employee of the paper? Depends on your opinion, I guess. While some people might think that the Register-Star taking the side of SLC through editorials and what not was unethical...I thought the actual news stories themselves were balanced decently. Many forget that the newswriters and the editorial writers are not the same people and that the newswriters have no say, for the most part, on what goes into the editorials. That is the work of the ed board. As for advertising...it's paid for...it goes in...that's that. Newspapers, after all, are in the business of money-making, like most businesses. And for Lynn, leaving the paper was her choice when faced with two options: leave or pursue an office. She chose to leave. Some don't have the choice...their livlihood depends on the money they make at the papers, however piddly it might be, and they can't take the chance of running and losing an election. Personally, being in the field, I don't feel that reporters should be barred from holding an office or volunteering with a political party. So long as there is absolutely NO crossover between their reporting beats and their political affiliations. But again, that knowing about a story before anyone else is a dilemma I'm not sure how I would get around. But, what the peons think doesn't matter to the powers to be. And until the powers to be change the policies...some Hudson Valley reporters don't have much of a choice. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Careful review is called for Author: Ned Depew [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 09:44:27 03/04/06 Sat Gwen - As I said, it is accepted practice in the journalism industry to separate personal ideology and political connections from one's reporting. Certainly there are cases where an individual has to recuse him or herself from stories to which there is an insurmontable personal connection. But that simply stops the reporter from covering certain issues, not from being a reporter nor from having strong political views. The principle is the same as that which creates an imaginary "firewall" between the advertising and editorial departments (one that sometimes seems especially "imaginary" - invisible and totally permeable - as it did in the case of the Register-Star and SLC). A reporter can hold strong political views and still report clearly, fairly and honestly on the "Who, What, When, Where, and How." The new insight in this area for journalists and schools of journalism, is that it's not a question of being "objective" (which has come to be realized as an imaginary ideal) but rather of being "fair" - recognizing the reporter's own prejudices and making every effort - including peer review and editorial oversight - to avoid inserting them into the writing. I hope you'll review the articles published by the Register-Star on the SLC matter. I think you will find, as many others have, that the coverage was full of innacuracies, of failures to pursue questions and clarify points unfavorable to the SLC position, of unquestioning repetitions of SLC press materials without the slightest effort to test claims made against opposing points of view, of direct distortions of the facts when compared with videotaped records of some of the events described. In my opinion, they could stand as something of a journalistic case study of "bad practice." I respect your impression that the coverage was fair, but I ask you to review that judgement with the benefit of our current hindsight on the issue and in the light of differing accounts (those of the Independent and of the videotapes, for instance) that are available. As a reporter, you should agitate through your professional organizations and your Union (if you don't have one, you should, for exactly this reason!) for fair treatment. There are ethical ways for journalists to embrace both political activism and responsible reporting. Publishers of major newspapers have already accepted this truth. Publishers of less progressive newspapers need to be educated to follow that lead.