25 Gannett Wisconsin Media Journalists Caught Signing Petition to Recall Governor Walker
How pathetic is this?
It was reported Saturday that 25 Gannett Wisconsin Media journalists have been reprimanded for signing petitions to recall Republican Governor Scott Walker:
Today, in the interest of full transparency, we are informing you that 25 Gannett Wisconsin Media journalists, including nine at the P-C, also signed the Walker recall petitions. It was wrong, and those who signed were in breach of Gannett's Principles of Ethical Conduct for Newsrooms
"P-C" stands for Post-Crescent which is one of the papers in Appleton, Wisconsin.
According to Gannett Blog, the paper's managing editor sent an email message about this matter Friday asking employees not to "respond to any media requests or other communication you might receive from outside our office in relation to this matter."
That's called damage control.
Genia Lovett, the Post-Crescent's president and publisher told her readers Saturday:
All Gannett journalists are trained on and expected to follow the company's principles of ethical conduct. The 32 principles include these six that are directly relevant to the recall petition issue:
» We will remain free of outside interests, investments or business relationships that may compromise the credibility of our news report.
» We will maintain an impartial, arm's length relationship with anyone seeking to influence the news.
» We will avoid potential conflicts of interest and eliminate inappropriate influence on content.
» We will take responsibility for our decisions and consider the possible consequences of our actions.
» We will be conscientious in observing these principles.
» We will always try to do the right thing.
A Gannett journalist cannot uphold these principles and at the same time post a candidate's sign in the yard, or sign a candidate's nomination papers, or join a campaign rally, or sign a petition advocating a recall election.
Great principles indeed.
Maybe Lovett should send them to employees of every media organization to remind them of their responsibilities to the public as well.
(H/T Dan Gainor)
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Comments
Oh don't worry, they are a balanced media outlet-
Submitted by David Kramer on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 8:34am.
They have Both kinds of journOlists at the Post-Crescent, socialists anndddddd progressives [say with southern drawl-you might get the reference].
Tis OK
Submitted by locomotivebreath1901 on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 8:35am.
They're on the Journo-list from the Ministry of Truth, so tis OK.
Gannett=Bird Cage Lining
Submitted by compguytracy on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 9:16am.
As a Appleton native, now living in Green Bay, I hear all this crap. All of the papers in the Fox Valley(appleton, oshkosh, fonddulac, green bay) are all gannett owned, also, they own usa today, geez, liberal much. the recall walker effort is just a drop in the bucket for the elections in 2012, hold on, its going to be a mudslinging event. starting with these rags.
"Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought?" Orwell, 1984
Ceteris paribus
Newspapers
Submitted by Radical1979 on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 9:25am.
We now only get a newspaper on Sunday for the coupons. Everything I need to know I can find on the Internet or radio. It makes me happy not to support a leftist company.
Ethical conduct
Submitted by povertypimpin on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 9:54am.
meaning keep your political activism embedded in your journalism.
At least someone admitted
Submitted by mustango on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 10:28am.
At least someone admitted there was something wrong with that.
We're still waiting for the judges who signed that petition to admit any kind of conflict of interest.
Oh, they have been
Submitted by Boudin on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 10:33am.
Reprimanded? So, what about the 29 judges?
➚ The problem with Gannett
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 10:36am.
Those rules of journalistic ethics are put in place strictly for such time as there is need to discipline conservative thought. Nobody really expects them to be followed faithfully.
Shock
Submitted by sngnsgt on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 10:38am.
And this surprises who?
Sadly, pretty much nobody
Submitted by merly1 on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 11:47am.
Sadly, pretty much nobody
As NB has noted before, there
Submitted by celator on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 10:58am.
As NB has noted before, there are also 29 Wisconsin judges who have signed the same petition. There's something very weird about that state.
Time to pay the piper for your misdeeds
Submitted by djwolf12 on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 12:34pm.
It is time to Name Names to these petitions. Lets find out who these activists disguising themselves as journalists are. More importantly, are these journalists the main culprits that are feeding that fat slob Ed Shultzforbrains his material for his nightly hate talk on Scott Walker?
Ante up. Give us your names.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Submitted by liberalsarefunny on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 12:51pm.
I'm shocked!! Shocked to hear this!!
It's their job...
Submitted by bigtimer on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 12:57pm.
...it's what they do dontcha know!
Nada will happen to any of them...never does.
Same ol'...same ol'.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
Hey, nice to see you.
Submitted by Boudin on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 8:23am.
Hope your well
Wonder
Submitted by grammajane on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 1:03pm.
how many times fat a$$ Schultz voted??
If you subscribe to the notion
Submitted by CO2Maker on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 1:06pm.
that the role of journalism is to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted, that journalists should speak truth to power and expose corruption in high places, that they should shape the future and make a better world for the next generation, etc., then you should (might be) comfortable with them signing petitions.
But if you think journalists should not be an active part of the story they cover, then this should give you pause.
However, it might be a good thing that this was discovered. Instead of simply denouncing it, of suspending them or putting them in the Ed Schultz Memorial time-out chair, appropriate websites, TV stations, and newspapers should just list the reporters and their employers under the banner: "Activist Journalists Seeking to Recall the Governor--and Their Employers" or similar. Isn't that one of Alinsky's rules: Name the opposition and freeze them.
Genia Lovett says:
Submitted by Jerry Mack on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 2:09pm.
"The check is in the mail."
Gannett
Submitted by mmilesll on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 3:26pm.
Gannett hasn't had any real journalist on any of their papers for years. Newspapers have become coupon holders and bird tray fillers. I graduated from a Big 10 Journalism School and was "taught" to "report the news-period". Of course, even then, there were several in classes who felt it was their "job" to "save the world". Now all of them feel compelled to "change the world" with every article they write. Didn't work then and it won't work now. The judges and Gannett "journalist" who signed the recall petition should have their jobs "recalled".
The Scarlet Number
Submitted by Pewah on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 3:28pm.
If Genia Lovett were truly interested in preserving an ethical standard she should do something much more credible. Going forward, any stories written about Governor Walker by any of these so called "journalists" should be labeled in the byline with a small "(25)" behind the writer's name. Do the same thing somewhere in the byline even if any contribution to the story was done by any of these people. Because they made such an open, arrogant, and biased statement by signing the petition, these liberal pundits have surrendered their credibility on any other stories related to the Governor. The reading public deserves to be reminded that they are reading something by somebody who has willingly and openly compromised their objectivity. The public deserves nothing less and to do so proves that Ms. Lovett's comments were nothing more than superficial and meaningless damage control.
GOOD CALL
Submitted by squirefld on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 6:33pm.
Yes! Every one of their articles on the Govenor, State Congress, Bills all should be disclosed.
But, if this was really a breach of Gannetts Policy whats the penalty? Were they just given a slap on the back while laughing "good job, but please don't do it again" or were they given any time off without pay or what? That also needs to be disclosed.
Well the judges signed 'em too !
Submitted by snowwwizard on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 11:33pm.
Hey, the judges are already leadin' that unethical slippery slope with their sigs' on the recall petitions so the mis-named journos have official cover - what a racket .... ah, but now, there's a highly visible document that provides a record against the lib liars and cheats.
Now we know...
Submitted by jdripper on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 10:24am.
why spell checker was created. It was developed as a way so that reporters would know how to spell integrity, honesty, professionalism, truthfulness, and morality.
Jack
Gannett should clean house: fire the lot!
Submitted by Mary Louise Turner on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 5:16pm.
Here's one thing Gannett should do in order to clean up its act. Fire the whole lot of pseudo-journalists who act as Democrat shills and replace them with real journalists - those who are willing to expose Democrats' bad deeds rather than cover them up. That's a novel idea, I know...