BY DAN
KENNEDY
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Thursday, August 28, 2003
Conflicts and ethics. A
couple of weeks ago I
wrote about the Boston
Globe's decision to pull one of its freelancers, Gail Spector,
out of Newton. Spector had been covering the Newton school system for
the Globe West section even though she served on the state-mandated
advisory council of her child's elementary school.
It was an open-and-shut case.
Unfortunately, Spector -- who I'm sure is a nice person who was
trying to do a good job -- still doesn't get it. In the current
Newton Tab, she gives her
side of the story,
attributing her demise to "a three-year vendetta" by the conservative
Newton Taxpayers Association. She writes:
Questioning my ethics --
particularly for being an involved parent -- is a dirty tactic. My
integrity is what I am and it's what's made me a successful
reporter. I was, and still am, a fair, honest journalist, and I am
proud of my work.
Come, now. Spector wasn't
questioned for being an "involved parent." She was questioned for
serving in the very same government that she was supposed to be
covering. Here's a section from the Society of Professional
Journalists' Code
of Ethics:
Journalists should be free
of obligation to any interest other than the public's right to
know.
Journalists should:
- Avoid conflicts of interest,
real or perceived.
- Remain free of associations
and activities that may compromise integrity or damage
credibility.
Spector also writes, "I would have
resigned but the editor who hired me thought it was unnecessary." If
that's true, then the Globe ought to schedule a seminar in
Ethics 101 as soon as possible.
It is unfortunate that this lapse
of judgment has handed a victory to an anti-school group whose
leaders include Brian Camenker, a homophobic
crank. But as the saying
goes, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
Camenker is right rather less often
than that. But he's right in this case.
New in this week's
Phoenix. Joe Conason's new book, Big Lies, is the
latest sign that liberals are mad
as hell and aren't going to
take it anymore.
Also, the Globe deletes a
crucial paragraph -- and makes a state rep look like a
vengeance-seeking
monster. And the BBC
engages in a mind-blowing bit of Israel-bashing.
posted at 9:09 AM |
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MEDIA LOG ARCHIVES
Dan Kennedy is senior writer and media critic for the Boston Phoenix.
