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Poynter on the Record

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Candace Clarke
Poynter faculty quoted in print, broadcast, or online and stories about The Poynter Institute



Poynter Is Journalism's 'Special Ethics Unit'
By Joe Strupp
Editor & Publisher
Published: 9/25/2006

Excerpt:

It was just a few days before The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Wash., was set to publish what would be its most controversial story ever, and one of the most talked-about newspaper investigations of 2005: the explosive revelation that Spokane Mayor Jim West was a closet homosexual, and had been meeting young gay men via an online chat room for at least a year.  ...

... As they prepared the report for its May 10 publication, Spokesman-Review Editor Steve Smith and Managing Editor Gary Graham wanted to make sure they had covered all the bases, checked all the facts, and reviewed all of the potential ethics-related problems. Enter Bob Steele, the Nelson Poynter Scholar for Journalism Values at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., whose advice on newsroom ethics has become nearly as sought-after as Dr. Phil's views on marriage.

"I think there is a greater recognition of how important ethical decision-making is," says Steele, a former broadcast journalist and University of Maine professor who has been with Poynter since 1989. ...

... The Spokesman-Review case is just one of hundreds of "911" calls for help that Steele and his ethics staff at Poynter field every year. From questions about conflicts of interest to whether or not to list the names of registered sex offenders, the Poynter ethics team has seen pleas for help -- many of them just before deadline -- increase dramatically in just the past few years. The high-profile Jayson Blair and Jack Kelley cases also sparked new ethics policy reviews at many papers.
More of this article...
Search Google News for more on Poynter's ethics group...

Posted by Candace Clarke 2:21 PM September 25, 2006
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