By Erica A. Hernandez
How do you set a standard for a topic that cannot be
standardized? This dilemma, otherwise known has ethics, has been discussed so
many times that my SJI classmates and I have lost count.
The question surrounding the topic of ethics has been: is
there a place for politics in journalism and if yes, then to what extent?
Greg Bowers, sports editor of the Columbia Missourian, made
the statement during his ethics discussion that sports and politics are more
alike than not.
Having interned with ABC News at the 2012 Republican
National Convention, I have some experience in political journalism. Politics
fascinate me but I am not a politically charged person. Even before my experience
at the RNC, I knew I that I had to be more of an observer of politics than a
participator. No party affiliation for me when I signed up for my voter’s
registration card in high school. This was the first step in separating my
beliefs from my work and it’s an important step for any journalists regardless
of what they cover.
The same principles that apply to journalists who cover
politics, apply to journalists who cover sports. Wearing a jersey for the team
you cover is like endorsing the candidate you voted for. It just shouldn’t be
done. Food is another place where lines can be crossed.
How much is common courtesy and how much is bribery? The final say on this
comes down to your employer’s policy.
Bowers did a good job in leading this discussion where the
lines are so blurred. There is no index card he can hand us that will serve us
as an ethics rule book for every situation we may find ourselves in the rest of
our careers. The resolution we did reach from our ethics discussion was that
perception matters just as much as reality. Being perceived as biased by your
peers, boss and especially readers, is just as much as an offense as actually
reporting and writing with a bias.
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