By Eric Pryne
The Seattle Times
Published 5/11/2007
Excerpt:
The Spokane report differs from the other reviews in at least one important respect: The Spokesman-Review asked the News Council to scrutinize the newspaper's coverage of itself.
Covering your own company well is difficult for any news organization, "but it's imperative that we do it," said Bob Steele, who teaches media ethics and values at the Poynter Institute, a Florida journalism think tank.
"One of the imperatives of journalism is to hold the powerful accountable," said Steele, who has advised The Seattle Times on coverage of itself. "If we don't do that to ourselves, we are hypocrites."
