Spring Break
Panel explores ethics of political coverage
Newsworthiness, importance scrutinized
Liza Atamy
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: News
Erin Ellis, a freshman psychology major and soon-to-be voter, said she has been following the presidential candidates, so she was interested in attending Wednesday's panel to better understand ethics in political media.
"I'm going to be a first-time voter, and I want to know what the candidates are going to do for this country," said Ellis, 19. "But all I hear in the media is about their personal lives and what they did in their past."
An ethics panel covering presidential candidates in the media featured five guest speakers in the Engineering Auditorium.
"Every candidate's event is staged for a reason," said Philip Trounstine, one of the five guest media representatives and a former political editor of the San Jose Mercury News.
Trounstine said a reporter doesn't tell the reader what a candidate's motives are.
"The reporter presumes to tell you they know what the motives of the candidates are," he said. "But you have to look and see what the reporter is trying to tell you."
Trounstine, who covered five presidential campaigns from 1980 to 1996, said a major ethical problem is deciding what is newsworthy and that the reporter decides what is important to write about.
"Journalism doesn't do truth very well. Journalism does facts very well," he said. "Finding the truth requires a difficult decision as to what is true and what is not true, and you must be good at providing actual facts."
Trounstine said providing facts is not good enough anymore, and it has become increasingly necessary for journalists to take on the role of finding truth.
Mary Anne Ostrom, another speaker and current lead political writer for the San Jose Mercury News, said one of the reasons ethical issues arise is because of media consolidation.
"There are mergers every day and three to four less voices as a result of that," Ostrom said. "Fewer people actually spend the time doing the hard work to fair out the truth."
Josh Richman, political blogger for Bay Area News Group, said there is no alternative to pick and choose stories that are newsworthy and that it is dangerous for reporters to be the "gatekeepers" of what to report and what not to report.
"I'm going to be a first-time voter, and I want to know what the candidates are going to do for this country," said Ellis, 19. "But all I hear in the media is about their personal lives and what they did in their past."
An ethics panel covering presidential candidates in the media featured five guest speakers in the Engineering Auditorium.
"Every candidate's event is staged for a reason," said Philip Trounstine, one of the five guest media representatives and a former political editor of the San Jose Mercury News.
Trounstine said a reporter doesn't tell the reader what a candidate's motives are.
"The reporter presumes to tell you they know what the motives of the candidates are," he said. "But you have to look and see what the reporter is trying to tell you."
Trounstine, who covered five presidential campaigns from 1980 to 1996, said a major ethical problem is deciding what is newsworthy and that the reporter decides what is important to write about.
"Journalism doesn't do truth very well. Journalism does facts very well," he said. "Finding the truth requires a difficult decision as to what is true and what is not true, and you must be good at providing actual facts."
Trounstine said providing facts is not good enough anymore, and it has become increasingly necessary for journalists to take on the role of finding truth.
Mary Anne Ostrom, another speaker and current lead political writer for the San Jose Mercury News, said one of the reasons ethical issues arise is because of media consolidation.
"There are mergers every day and three to four less voices as a result of that," Ostrom said. "Fewer people actually spend the time doing the hard work to fair out the truth."
Josh Richman, political blogger for Bay Area News Group, said there is no alternative to pick and choose stories that are newsworthy and that it is dangerous for reporters to be the "gatekeepers" of what to report and what not to report.
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