Agenda-Driven
News-Press Nine received Society of Professional Journalist's award despite Wendy McCaw's protests
The Society of Professional Journalists ignore Wendy McCaw’s
letter requesting a review of facts contrary to “the claims and comments of those employees
who resigned,” citing the lack of any rationale or explanation to
prevent the Ethics in Journalism prizes to be awarded to the
News-Press Nine.
The newspaper trade journal,
Editor & Publisher, had a somewhat overheated
headline introducing an otherwise fine recap of the leter received
by Gary Hill, the
chair of the SPJ Ethics committee, who will award the Ethics in
Journalism Award August 26 to Jerry Roberts, former executive
editor, George Foulsham, former managing editor, Don Murphy, former
deputy managing editor, Gerry Spratt, former sports editor, Michael
Todd, former business editor, Jane Hulse, former city editor, Colin
Powers, former presentation editor, former columnist Barney
Brantingham, and Scott Hadly, former reporter.
Two interesting snippets from that article:
“There is more to this than has been reported, and leads one to
wonder what personality or other issues are involved. We would urge
you to carefully look at all the facts,” the letter, a copy of
which was obtained by E&P, stated in part. “It is our belief
that the SPJ is being used by this group to further their own
personal and political agendas, and not as an expression of ethical
principals.”
I do believe it should be principle in that
last sentence. What did SPJ think of Ms. McCaw’s letter?
Hill said the letter did not offer a compelling reason for SPJ
to hold back the awards. “We didn’t think that most of the response
was germane to the ethical issues and went off on tangents and
general matters we weren’t necessarily concerned with,” he
said.
