PressEthic

The Lexington Herald-Leader has gone ahead with the publication of a 4-part investigative series on the remarkable knack for fundraising demonstrated by Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell.

McConnell is in line to become the Senate Majority Leader, if Republicans can hold onto their majority after the November election (which is increasingly in doubt).

And McConnell is highly suspicious of the report.

The 6-month investigation into McConnell's fundraising activities was conducted by reporter John Cheves, who received a $37,500 grant from the Center for Investigative Reporting.

The CIR has distributed to various projects funding they received from the Deer Creek Foundation. McConnell's people took issue with the source of the funding, questioning the reporter's ability to remain objective when the Deer Creek Foundation has been known to fund his opponents.

The Herald-Leader has published a defense of the research, and has gone forward with publication.

However, the paper has also changed ownership in the midst of the investigation, and McClatchy decided to give back the money.

Howard Weaver, vice president for news, announced that McClatchy would reimburse the Center for Investigative Reporting for the grant.

"If we want one of our staff members to do a report for one of our papers, we should pay for it," Weaver said.

Nevertheless, in the piece defending the series, James Rosen reports that the Herald-Leader (under previous owner Knight Ridder) was simply up against a common problem--not enough dough:

Marilyn W. Thompson, then editor of the Lexington Herald-Leader, faced a problem last year that is afflicting more and more newspaper editors across the country: She wanted to initiate a major reporting project but lacked sufficient resources to finance it.

Thompson, who wanted the paper to take a deep look at Mitch McConnell, Kentucky's senior senator, came up with an answer. She would seek support from the Center for Investigative Reporting, a California-based non-profit group that has financed or conducted groundbreaking work in television and print journalism.

So what's the message?

Although it isn't overtly stated, McClatchy appears uncomfortable with outside funding for the project. On the other hand, it is willing to stand behind the reporting (so far), in spite of objections from the Senator.

In the defense, reporter Rosen points out that newspapers are struggling with new media competition and are constantly faced with limited funds.

"The old business model of just having advertisers and readers fund journalism is giving way to a new model where news organizations go to philanthropic and other groups to subsidize watchdog projects," said Tom Rosenstiel, a former Los Angeles Times reporter who founded the Project for Excellence in Journalism, a research center that monitors the performance of the press.

In other words, it's okay for newspapers to seek grant money, but, at least in this case, McClatchy will do without.

The Center for Investigative Reporting has opted to take a positive view of the issue, saying:

in October McClatchy issued a check to the Center for the costs incurred in supporting Cheves' investigation. CIR will use this money to finance further investigative work on the campaign finance system.