Laura Pryor
Comm 409, Blog 4
10/28/18
Advocating or Celebrating?
Situation Definition:
Working as a journalist comes with many rewards, but there comes a time when one’s job as a journalist can deeply impact one’s beliefs and actions. This “conflict of interest” idea was touched upon in class lecture before, which brought upon great ethical concern to me. The case study I chose to write about was the example of Frank Whelan, who was a feature writer for the Morning Call from Allentown, PA. In June of 2006, Whelan took part in a gay rights parade with his partner, Bob Whitman. Since he was a journalist, his boss and newspaper had rules that prohibited him from taking part in any public demonstrations. Whelan’s bosses said that he did not ask for permission to march in this parade and they found out about his participation from a news release after the event (Brown, Young, 2006). What brings up ethical concern is that the newspaper told Whelan he would break the conflict code and there would be “consequences” if he participated. This brings me ethical concern because Whelan participated in this parade as a celebration of his relationship with his partner of 25 years (Brown, Young, 2006). How can one’s celebration of their love and happiness, result in consequences to their job?
Analysis:
I do not believe that Whelan’s participation in this event was to advocate for any political view, which would impact his job, rather his participation was to celebrate something close to his heart and for his entertainment. Whelan did not go around publicizing the parade, rather he did it quietly with his partner. A specific issue with this case is that Whelan’s bosses believed it was a conflict of interest. The editors and bosses thought that Whelan’s actions would harm their newspaper. I understand that a journalist’s participation in certain events could hurt his or her credibility, but how far should this go? Conflict of interest protocols are important in journalism, but they should not go too far. An article by Candace Clarke on Poynter.org shows the editors side by explaining how Whelan’s role could have been seen as an endorsement of marriage rights (2006). A conflict of interest is defined by “A situation in which an individual has competing interests or loyalties (Murray, 2018). These cases can be tricky. For example, is gay pride a political cause or promoting certain views? How many rights should journalists have to give up? Would this case have been big if it was for an abortion campaign and not gay rights? (Brown, Young, 2006). These are some questions to think about with this case.
Whelan was suspended for two days following the parade. He did not receive pay and soon after filed three lawsuits which included sexual discrimination in violation of a city ordinance, age discrimination and defamation (Brown, Young, 2006). These issues were settled in court. Why did Whelan have to be suspended for something that had nothing to do with his newspaper, but rather a celebration of his life? I understand that the employers wanted to minimize harm but suspending Whelan for two unpaid days was too extreme for something that was not harmful to their company and not a public demonstration.
Conclusion:
After researching this case, I have learned that it is always important to tell the truth before participating in events that might harm your job. For example, would Whelan have been suspended if he told his bosses he was participating beforehand? Would they have let him? Conflicts of interest are even more confusing today than in the past. With new rules and an increase in social media, it is almost impossible to participate or do things without others knowing. Telling the truth and asking permission beforehand could help. I stand by Whelan and believe that he did nothing wrong by going to the parade. After all, in my opinion this was a celebration. He was not advocating for particular views. In today’s society it is important to discuss the rules as a journalist, but there comes a time when people should be able to express their love without worrying about its effect on their employment. Journalists have difficult jobs, yes, but this does not mean they should be held back or penalized from supporting what matters most in their lives.
References:
Brown, F., & Young, N. (n.d.). Reigning on the Parade. Society of Professional Journalists. Retrieved from Society of Professional Journalists database.
Clarke, C. (2006, June 26). Journalist’s Role in Pride March Disputed. Retrieved October 28, 2018, from Poynter.org website: https://www.poynter.org/news/journalists-role-pride-march-disputed
Murray, J. (2018, September 3). What is a Conflict of Interest? Give Me Some Examples. Retrieved October 28, 2018, from The Balance Small Business website: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/what-is-a-conflict-of-interest-give-me-some-examples-398192