PressEthic

There's been a wealth of dialogue on this blog lately regarding bias in the news, specifically newspapers. Ted Diadiun, ombudsman of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, recently touched on an issue that I think could use much greater focus: candidate endorsements. Diadiun thinks it is against the intent of journalism to endorse candidates in well publicized races, and I agree.

I know it would be inhuman to expect people not to bring any bias to the table. That's not what I'm asking. Candidate endorsements are a green light for institutional bias, though.

Journalism requires balanced judgment, choices, and evaluation of circumstances. Yes, there are editorial pages, opinion columns, and advertisements. Choosing what articles to run and the placement and length of play are all editorial choices. They should be based on importance, though, not preference. The story can change at any time, and if anyone should know this, it's editors. Who knows what will happen in the last days of the race?

It is ok for journalists to vote; that is their private right. But to expect to influence the votes of others? To tell them which way to vote? I don't think so. People won't ever trust that they are getting non-biased political information if their hometown paper is rooting for one team over another. Endorsing a presidential, mayoral, or any candidate is the equivalent of a newspaper donating millions to the campaign. How can they then claim to give straight news?

The practice is archaic, at best. If the journalism community is serious about cleaning up its act and getting the public to take it seriously, eliminating political endorsements would be a bold start.