Well apparently I said something yesterday that struck a chord...either that or our contest the last few weeks has helped us pick us a few more readers...either way I'm glad you have come here to read this blog. For those of you who haven't been here since 06 when we started, a little review.
We started out this blog with the intention of bringing you a little more. The idea is that we see a lot more information than we have time to share. I'll see links to the raw data of a study...op/ed articles that give opinions on the issues we talk about etc. That's how we started.
Things evolve and we certainly did. After a while we were talking a little bit more about our personal lives and we were injecting our opinions in some cases as well. That's a slippery slope for a journalist. If you'd asked me in 2006, I would have told you I wanted to stay as far away from opinion as possible. As we've continued this conversation my opinion on that has evolved.
Advocating for a certain position all the time is not a journalists job. Here's the definition I use to describe what I try to do...
"Seek Truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently and be accountable". It's from The Society of Professional Journalist's Code of Ethics.
Now, there would be A LOT of journalists that would say this blog violates the idea of acting independently. That's what many of you commented on yesterday. I look at what's written about the rest of that tenet when I think about this blog...
It says...
Journalists should:
—Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
—
Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or
damage credibility.
— Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special
treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office
and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic
integrity.
— Disclose unavoidable conflicts.
— Be vigilant and
courageous about holding those with power accountable.
— Deny favored
treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to
influence news coverage.
— Be wary of sources offering information for
favors or money; avoid bidding for news.
So that's the gold standard...I certainly fall short sometimes.
The sticky one is avoiding perceived conflicts of interest. I can certainly see how a reasonable person would see my writing here as a perceived conflict with delivering the news in a fair way. I would disagree. I DO think you can be a fair journalist acting within the boundaries of that code and still offer your own thoughts and observations. Independence is the key...
If I am fair in the way I ask questions...if I hold both sides of an issue to the same standards...I think you can still be fair. I hope that's the way I've written this blog.
Maybe most of all, I think being fair means being open to all sides of an argument...even if it's one you've had before. I hope I continue to ask questions of people I disagree with. I hope I continue to try to learn as much as I can about issues. I hope YOUR opinions help me consider questions I hadn't before.
If all of those things happen I think this blog holds a valuable place in our news product.
As I've said here before...I think there are a lot of Republicans who read this and wouldn't count me as a member of their party. I think Democrats would say the same thing. I always say, if both sides are mad at you every once in while you're doing your job.
I hope that helps answer some of your concerns. If you have questions I will try to answer them as best I can.
I hope you all have a good weekend!
PWD
Posts
6 comments:
See, that's what I love about your blog, though- I think your opinions are not blindly biased, are well thought out and intelligent. Your opinion on subjects you report on never cloud the way you deliver the news.
If people are telling you not to have an opinion on things, they are ignoring the fact that you're a human being, not just a journalist, and they should just not read your blog!
Pat,
I have an expectation as a viewer for journalistic neutrality and I wished I hadn't seen your blog yesterday. Now a seed of doubt has been cast. I've read your blog today, and don't disagree with what your are saying in general, you have a right to your opinions, I just wished you shared them with your friends and family and not with the general viewing public regarding politics. There is one statement in particular that left me cold and it's this one: "Why is it intolerance when a Republican sends out a nasty email and it's simply an error in judgement when a Democrat does it?" It's that kind of blanket statement that shows very little political balance in your thinking. How can I trust, in the future that you will be reporting political events neutrally when I now know that this is how you REALLY feel about ALL Democrats? Is this what you really meant to say?
Pat,
I think a lot of the reaction you're getting is from people who do not regularly read your blog. I am a proud democrat and I absolutely understand your point of view on the U of I professor's behavior. It was absolutely inappropriate! And if something like that had come from a republican, you bet your behind that we'd all be crying foul! Why is it that we are so quick to point the finger at opposing groups and can't manage to see when one of our own is in the wrong?
As far as you being a democrat hating biased monster, if people think that, they haven't read your blog! How many times have I seen you post comments in support of same-sex marriage? That doesn't sound very "Fox News-y" to me!
Keep on posting from your heart!
Linda, (and really...everyone)Thanks for the comments.
I hope someone can answer my question. I'm asking it honestly. If it's your opinion that Democrats get the short end of the stick in situations like this, please make that case. I'm really just making an observation about how we react to news stories like this.
That's not a statement of support for anyone's political opinion...that's an observation about how we react or perceive a certain group.
If you think you've got me pegged as a liberal or conservative...think again.
Let the conversation continue....
PWD
Pat,
I've read your blog in the past. I see that you've stepped delicately around hot topic issues and haven't really committed yourself one way or the other. Unfortunately, I didn't read the "intolerance" comment "that way" and that is the downfall of the "written" word vs. the verbal word. And, I don't personally know you so I have no basis for benefit of the doubt. If you re-read that "question" you can see how I could have misunderstood it...and trust me, I'm not trying to defend that prof's behavior by any means. I think more than anything...I want to know that you are neutral. I have always felt that in your job, it is a requirement in order to earn my trust. And I have trusted you for over 10 years. To answer your questions, I feel both parties are to blame for the mud slinging. I vote for the person, not the party.
I should clarify my last statement, You've committed yourself to issues, but you are right...I could never tell whether you are liberal or conservative.
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