PressEthic

On 27 December 2006, the Lowell Sun will publish a special supplement on Massachusetts Congressman Marty Meehan. A Lowell, Massachusetts native made good, congressman Meehan is turning 50. As Boston Globe columnist Steve Bailey reports, Sun publisher Mark O'Neil has said that the commemorative section will mark the congressman's milestone birthday with features on his "'life, local roots, and...commitment to public service.'"

Already, this sounds a bit too cozy for comfort. But what's more -- a portion of the advertising revenues generated by the special section will be donated to the Marty Meehan Educational Foundation. And just in case the Sun's Ad Sales Department can't quite get the job done, Congressman Meehan's Lowell-based staff will be contacting potential advertisers to solicit their participation (i.e. money) in the special edition. Oh -- and did I mention that Congressman Meehan's father, Buster Meehan, is a former 43-year member of the Sun's staff?

Since when do newspapers enter into business deals with the politicians they cover? In this particular situation, the Sun's Ad Sales staff and Congressman Meehan's own staff will literally team up to generate revenues that benefit both the Sun and Meehan's pet cause.

As Bailey points out in his Globe column:

"If you are looking to feed at the trough -- and who isn't? -- are you really going to say no when the congressman's office calls?"

Indeed, in one fell swoop, the Sun has transformed itself into a de facto fundraiser for Congressman Meehan, while the congressman himself has cheapened his own public image and perhaps undermined his integrity by selling out in such an obviously self-serving manner.

Beyond such PR concerns, the potential ethical implications are not pretty. The blatant conflicts of interest and general unseemliness of the project are astounding.

True -- as a business ploy, this arrangement is an innovative stroke of media genius. What politician wouldn't want such excellent public exposure? Given this, the opportunity to raise funds for a pet political cause is really just gravy. And obviously the Sun stands to gain substantial profits from such an undertaking. Otherwise, why would the newspaper risk its core value proposition -- its credibility -- on such a project?

It's clear that struggling newspapers will have to creatively adjust their reporting and news dissemination methods in order to remain financially viable in this era of waning advertising revenues and increased competition from new media news sources. But this cheap kind of quick-fix, bottom-line-driven adaptation, in which ethical integrity is bartered for financial gain, is surely a miscarriage of the media innovation proposition.