People in the community occasionally ask me what role Eagle journalists are able to have as private citizens during election seasons. And someone last week pointed out that they saw a candidate’s bumper sticker on a car in The Eagle’s employee parking area.
The newsroom’s written ethics policy is very clear about journalists’ involvement in political campaigns. Here’s what it says:
"Don’t work on political campaigns. To prevent the appearance of a conflict of interest, do not contribute to political campaigns or sport political buttons, bumper stickers or yard signs. The same holds true for issues. If you are covering a liquor-by-the drink referendum or a school-bond issue, or an aspect of it, you should not sign petitions in favor it."
This policy pertains only to the newsroom. The Eagle’s other 300 or so employees are free to take part in the political process as they wish. The only restriction is that they cannot campaign or contribute and represent their individual views as those of The Wichita Eagle.
Sherry
I’m writing from the Associated Press Managing Editors convention in New Orleans. This is my first trip to the Gulf Coast, where Hurricane Katrina is certainly not yesterday’s news. Every day stories related to the disaster and its aftermath dominate page one of the New Orleans Times Picayune, more than a year after the hurricane. The paper’s editor, Jim Amoss, told editors here that he expects this will be the number one story at his newspaper for years to come. In fact, the paper now employs a reporter to cover mold as a full-time beat.
We are staying in the French Quarter, which didn’t suffer the same damage as other parts of the city and region. In fact, it’s home again to a lively restaurant scene, shopping, clubs. In this neighborhood, New Orleans seems to be reviving its essential tourist trade. We got another perspective on a bus tour, sponsored by the Freedom Forum, through other neighborhoods and into areas of Mississippi devastated by Katrina. It seems impossible to imagine that some of those areas will ever be restored.
I am so struck here by the dedication of the journalists who covered and continued to cover this story. On the opening day of the convention, we saw a slide show of then-and-now photos, some of which featured the ruined homes of reporters, editors and photographers from the Times Picayune. These journalists worked through the storm, blocking from their minds as best they could how the storm was impacting their own lives, their families, their homes. As wrenching as the road has been, said Jim Amoss, " we have traveled it with our readers." One photo showed the city editor handing out copies of the paper at the convention center to a crowd starved not just for food and shelter, but also for news. Today these journalists fight a constant battle on behalf of their readers for access to federal documents to show how the government is handling disaster relief.
In journalism circles, we tend to be obsessed with the survival of our industry, the prospects for recovering circulation and ad revenues, how we will build our future in an uncertain landscape. This is a moment when it is heartening to be in New Orleans, to see firsthand how vital a newspaper can be for its community.
Theresa Johnson