"The comments made by reporter Mark Krzos on his personal Facebook page were completely inappropriate. They were done without the knowledge of The News-Press and violate our policies."
-- Top editor Terry Eberle, in a statement to blogger Jim Romenesko. Eberle was responding to Fort Myers, Fla., reporter Krzos' stinging criticism of customers during Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.
Eberle did not, however, reveal which policies were violated.
Earlier: What's Gannett's employee social media policy?
Jim,
ReplyDeleteMight want to review the SPJ/SDX guidelines on the appearance of bias.
You know, in the old days of pre-electricity, great reporters like the late Dave Broder stated they did not vote, to prevent the appearance of bias.
Want to rant against the Kochs, Kennedys, Limbaugh, Pelosi, etc.?
Great. Don't be a reporter. Thanks.
6:53.
ReplyDeleteI believe you're confusing David Broder with someone else (Len Downie?) on the voting issue.
Broder, in fact, regularly announced his views in his opinion columns. The notion that you can't cover politics and also have (and publish) opinions is relatively recent.
We don't have any policies, until you violate them.
ReplyDeleteJust like the Wisconsin 25.
Why did the News-Press crucify Mark Krzos? He made negative references to Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh.
ReplyDeleteIt's an open secret that Gannett newspapers and TV stations provide gentle treatment of right-wing figures. Gannett is no different from the AP, CBS, Fox News or any other national news outlet in that regard.
Wisconsin 25 got what they deserved, as did every other employee NOT in the I.C. who signed the petition and weren't reprimanded.
ReplyDeleteWhy people insist they should feel free to throw away their credibility as impartial news brokers - and then wonder why they get fired when they do - is beyond me.
Take a stand if you want. Don't piss 'n moan about the consequences.
DAVE BRODER
ReplyDelete1. Correct, Downie.
2. Broder was noted by Tim Crouse in 1973 as relentlessly bi-partisan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Broder
He said he was both a reporter and columnist, that he kept the two mind-sets separate. To "play it straight" and offering a well-considered opinion. Yes, old-fashioned in today's 160-character blasts -- actual cold, rigorous, and objective thinking.
3. "Relatively new?" Nearly 45 years is new? Nixon was president, for God's sake.
4. Imagine a reporter from XYZ calls you, after she/he had a well-publicized flap, calling all GCI employees "mindless Gannettoids."
How would you treat such a call? Like a bomb, waiting to go off?
MK is free to go work for "The Advocate" or "The Nation" or Current TV, they are clearly one-sided. The standard newspaper just won't go -- Journalism 101. Can't believe, this has to be explained.
A revision to the Gannett ethics standards is sitting right now on Kate's desk and includes social media provisions. I predict it will be released very shortly.
ReplyDeleteBecause, 11:27, Gannett and other newspapers have proven in the past that if you are management, you are allowed to not be impartial. They endorse candidates on their editorial pages, but then whine when people question their impartiality.
ReplyDeleteEditors are smarter than writers. That's why they can have opinions and you cannot. They also know where the spell check shortcut is, and they know the comma up in the air is called an apostrophe.
ReplyDelete6:53
ReplyDelete"Journalism 101" ? But in the same breath, you seem to say it's ok for a reporter both to cover politics and publish his opinions as long as he/she does it well, as Broder did and some others still do.
Journalism 201.It's not so black and white.
It's interesting how Eberle didn't reveal which policies were violated. Maybe it's because Eberle doesn't know which policies were violated. Typical Gannett. Editors want reporters to back up their stories but editors themselves aren't willing to back up their statements.
ReplyDeleteLet me guess, Chick-fil-a is a big advertiser?
When I worked for Gannett, I remember during one of my reviews I was told by an editor that sources at the entity I covered were lying to me. I asked who was lying to me and which stories the supposed lies were published and the editor didn't have an answer, just responded something like, "that's a fair question." Huh? It was as if the editor had to say something to make himself look important and to make me look small.
1:22, you kill your credibility when you link to Wikipedia for your source and write about "160-character blasts," presumably a reference to Twitter's 140-character limit.
ReplyDelete"We don't have any policies, until you violate them."
ReplyDeleteThat makes no sense, and it's an excuse that's used far too often.
Surprise, surprise. Whenever the curtain slips and a reporter's ideological affiliation is revealed, it just so happens to fall on the hateful extremist far left. Do tell.
ReplyDeleteBet Fort Myers is loving the extra attention and page views
ReplyDeleteThere shouldn't need to be a written policy that says "Don't do something stupid." What Krzos did was not illegal but it certainly was stupid.
ReplyDeleteIt's why I recommend you maintain a separate Facebook profile for work and for your personal life. I maintain a Twitter account strictly for professional use.
ReplyDeleteI play an online game called mafia Wars on FB. So if I have to cover a trial of an Italian American charged with a crime, am I going to be pilloried for playing a game that some might construe as anti-Italian? Get a friggin life. This is why I live outside the coverage area, to separate my professional and private life. And like it or not we still have a right to a private life. We don't get paid enough for this kind of BS
Look readers already assume reporters are left wing wingnuts with a bias on every issue. Not one of them reads your personal FB page and if you clicked on the proper security level on FB nO one but friends would see your thoughts.
ReplyDelete