Tsukroff promotes a candidate (or two)
Today on the Gray News blog, (www.bwg.blogspot.com) Nathan Tsukroff of The Gray News wrote "I recommend a vote for Julie DeRoche or Ann Libby." Both these people are candidates for council. (The correct name of the second candidate is 'Alison Libbey.')
BUST: Reporters should not influence the news, especially not to make recommendations to voters on which candidate to vote for. According to the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics, journalists should: "Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist the pressure to influence news coverage."
Nathan failed to resist the pressure to influence news coverage. Though, this is not the first time The Gray News has participated in politics. Their Board of Directors were campaign officers for Legislative candidates. Ray Clark was elected to the charter commission in 1999, and subsequently reported on himself. Ray Clark also served and does serve on Town committees, participating on local government. Nathan participated in the political recall campaign by circulating petitions. Both Mr. Clark and Mr. Tsukroff reported on themselves while participating in political events. This is wrong.
The New York Times code of Ethics says:
"No staff member may seek public office anywhere. Seeking or serving in public office plainly violates the professional detachment expected of a journalist. It poses a risk of having the staff member's political views imputed to The Times, and it can sow a suspicion of favoritism in The Times's political coverage when one of its staff is an active participant."
Hear hear. Ray Clark and Nathan Tsukroff's past and current participation in politics destroys professional detachment expected of a journalist. That is why their paper is biased.
BUST: Reporters should not influence the news, especially not to make recommendations to voters on which candidate to vote for. According to the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics, journalists should: "Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist the pressure to influence news coverage."
Nathan failed to resist the pressure to influence news coverage. Though, this is not the first time The Gray News has participated in politics. Their Board of Directors were campaign officers for Legislative candidates. Ray Clark was elected to the charter commission in 1999, and subsequently reported on himself. Ray Clark also served and does serve on Town committees, participating on local government. Nathan participated in the political recall campaign by circulating petitions. Both Mr. Clark and Mr. Tsukroff reported on themselves while participating in political events. This is wrong.
The New York Times code of Ethics says:
"No staff member may seek public office anywhere. Seeking or serving in public office plainly violates the professional detachment expected of a journalist. It poses a risk of having the staff member's political views imputed to The Times, and it can sow a suspicion of favoritism in The Times's political coverage when one of its staff is an active participant."
Hear hear. Ray Clark and Nathan Tsukroff's past and current participation in politics destroys professional detachment expected of a journalist. That is why their paper is biased.
posted by Gray Maine at
7:22 AM
8 Comments:
Your post is just laughable.
You berate Nathan for writing an opinion on a blog -- not a newspaper.
Ms Prata has stated that her blog and the editorial in her paper is her opinion. Wasn't her editorial "Recall? No Thanks" a failure to "resist the pressure to influence news coverage?"
A little consistency goes a long way.
By
Anonymous, at 8:16 AM
It is no laughing matter when a reporter recommends voting for one candidate over another. It is quite serious.
Nathan should not participate in the news. He recommended voting for one candidate over another, and that, by the two excerpts in the codes of ethics, means his credibility is destroyed.
The Gray News has been consistent in their participation in the news and consistent in their denial that that means they have become biased. Unfortunately, by any standard, and there are two excerpted here, they are wrong.
By
Gray Maine, at 8:36 AM
Having an opinion on a political process, especially when that opinion is also published in the hard copy (Elizabeth), is entirely different than participating IN the process (Nathan). The former is expected, the latter, condemned.
By
Anonymous, at 3:24 PM
I can't see why the Gray News can't see that it's coverage of the news suffers when they take part in it. It's like they think they are above every ethics and morals known to man. I'm glad you publish the codes and other documents so people can see it's not just made up. It's serious. Most REAL newspaper people take it serious, anyway.
I quit reading it when they raked Fran over the coals and I am still not reading it as long as Ray Clark is with the paper, and Nathan Tsoukroff. And I don't like that the Nathan guy get paid by the Town of Gray for being the traffic cop. There's no way he can be objective when he gets money from the people he reports on???!!!
By
Anonymous, at 7:00 PM
I just went to that bwg blog. Nathan seems a little obsessed with Fascism, and The Monument. It's a shame he says Gary is a liar, Gary is as honest as the day is long. Everyone knows that.
And I do NOT like reporters telling me who to vote for. Just on that alone, I will never read their paper again.
By
Anonymous, at 7:07 PM
Nathan Tsukroff is off his rocker if he thinks that his blogging is helping him. Not to mention him taking part in the recall. People will not forget that. I don't like that he gets paid by the town, either, anonymous, thanks for the reminder. He should pick: be objective as a real journalist? or be a paid employee of the town. He can't be both. Not in the real world.
By
Anonymous, at 10:17 PM
Knowing what we know about Nathan Tsukroff and Ray Clark {they are Unethical, Inconsistent, Abusing, Liars; and Flat-Out Wrong} why is it they are allowed to portray themselves as Journalists and continually mislead their readers?? Their credibility is zero; and something should be done legally to stop their arrogance and misuse of their positions. I guess you can't change what you don't acknowledge; but they are a dangerous pair!
By
Anonymous, at 4:59 PM
well, freedom of speech protects them. But the marketplace will decide. As long as people read the paper without knowing the real situation, the two will persist. But I am hoping that with enough education as to what the readers deserve, which is a good newsaper that isn't abusive, then the natural thing will happen, which is that people will drift away and the Gray News will topple.
By
Gray Maine, at 5:15 PM
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