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Candidate Speeches: The Public and Private Journalist

By Karen Dunlap

What are principled journalists to do when a presidential candidate gives a speech to them? Should they stand at the candidate's appearance or reserve that as protocol for the president? Should they applaud during the speech or remain quietly noncommittal? Should they give a standing ovation at the end of the speech or remain seated?

Journalists at Unity did all of the above Thursday. Some applauded John Kerry, honored him by standing and were delighted to shake hands with him after he jumped off the platform to greet attendees. Others maintained silence or responded impartially.

When is a journalist in a professional role and when does life allow for displays as a private citizen? How have other journalistic groups responded to political speeches? When the President spoke to the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) and the publishers association (NAA), some (probably publishers) cheered while others looked a little uncomfortable.

Is there a cultural issue? NABJ members are used to giving a standing ovation for any moderately acceptable speaker.

Unity participants have another chance to define appropriate behavior during speeches: President Bush addresses the group in the morning.

Related:

Candidate extolls diversity (@Unity.org)

Popularity contest and Be on time for Bush (Blogging from Unity)

Kerry: I'd Keep Cross-ownership Rules (E&P)

Democrat's speech draws hearty cheers at journalists' convention (USA Today)

Candidate Speeches: No Room for Cheering or Jeering

By Bob Steele

John Kerry’s speech to the UNITY convention Thursday – and President Bush’s scheduled appearance Friday – raise important questions about how journalists, on duty or off, should interact with politicians.

I missed Kerry’s speech at Unity Thursday morning, so I can’t address that situation directly. But here are some general thoughts on the issue:

Journalists, like other professionals, do have personal beliefs on issues, ranging from highly contentious social issues to matters of national policy. And, journalists do have personal enthusiasm for or dislike of certain candidates.

We can, and should, express our personal beliefs and indicate our choice of candidates, but we should do so in the privacy of the voting booth. But whether we’re on duty or not, we should not be overtly partisan in our public behavior. To do so undermines our professionalism and erodes our credibility.

We should not make contributions to political candidates or causes. We should not display partisan bumper stickers and yard signs. We should not be involved in political rallies or campaign events.

And, when we attend a speech by a political candidate or officeholder, we should not express our partisan beliefs, be it support or opposition. To do so – to applaud or cheer in support or to boo or jeer in opposition -- is unprofessional and unethical. That partisan behavior is antithetical to the principle of independence, one of the linchpins of our professional duty.

The role of the journalist at a campaign speech is well prescribed if we are “on duty,” covering the event. No display of partisanship. We observe, we listen, we ask questions, we write and we report. Even those journalists who write opinion pieces do not behave with partisanship.

But what about when the journalists are in the audience at a campaign speech given to a group of journalists, as with Kerry and Bush this week at Unity.

Even then, journalists should honor their role, should retain their obligation to the principle of independence, and should abstain from displays of public partisanship.

To be sure, it is appropriate to be respectful when we attend a speech involving a candidate or officeholder. We can stand when they enter and depart. And, if we are in the audience, we may even offer respectful applause to welcome and to give thanks.

But we, as journalists, should not abdicate our unique and essential role as professional observers of the political process. We should not tarnish our responsibility as reporters of issues and chroniclers of the candidates.

We should not be activists, we should not behave as partisans. Not only do such roles diminish our standing as professionals, but they fuel the challenges of those critics who already believe that many journalists are biased and incapable of fair reporting on political issues and candidates.

This isn’t an argument about objectivity – that’s red herring stuff -- a false issue.

This is a matter of professionalism, a journalist’s duty to honor the ethical standards that underpin a unique and essential role in society.

Related:

Candidate extolls diversity (@Unity.org)

Popularity contest and Be on time for Bush (Blogging from Unity)

Kerry: I'd Keep Cross-ownership Rules (E&P)

Democrat's speech draws hearty cheers at journalists' convention (USA Today)

It's All About the Journalism

By Al Tompkins

Don't listen to the critics of Unity who tell you that "Journalists of Color" means it is a convention that is all about race and not about journalism. That is total nonsense.

I just finished teaching a 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. jam-packed day to 130 broadcast journalists at Unity. It was standing room only in a big convention room.

Along with my friend Eileen Faxas (from KHOU-TV Houston), we spent an entire day working on writing, storytelling, using the Internet to enrich stories, how to make tough ethics calls and how to enterprise stories that many others miss because they seem to be "non-visual." In short, it was ALL about journalism.

We talked a lot about the role of journalism in a free society. We talked about how diversity is important to a newsroom not just so we can "check off our list -- yup got one of them," but so we can enrich our decision-making by including a wider range of people who might make our journalism stronger. To me, diversity is not a goal in itself, it is a means to a goal — to tell stronger stories with a wider range of views and truths.

Unity is a marvel to experience. In addition to being the networking event for journalists of color, it is also a huge recruiting event for TV groups and newspapers. Every major TV group is there, in force, looking at tapes, gathering names and making contacts. Unity is a place where journalists can get critiques of their work, find mentors, and explore topics (especially about race and ethnicity) that other journalism conventions don't touch in their workshops.

For those of you who have found your way into this posting, I will give you a special treat. Drop me an e-mail and I will send you my collection of 200 online resources that I handed out in CD form to the people who showed up to our Poynter day-long workshop. The file I will send you is a Word document that will come to you as an attachment.

When I Hire, I Look for...

By Scott Libin

My Poynter role at Unity has me busy doing things other than recruiting at the convention this week. But in light of all the job hunting and interviewing going on here, here are some thoughts on the subject.

Sounds counter-intuitive, I know, but people who are terribly unhappy at what they're doing are sometimes so desperate for a change that they'll take almost anything. Those hasty decisions, like hasty hires, can haunt everybody involved for years to come. And people who become too quickly disenchanted with one employer are, in my experience, often prone to react that way to their next employer. And the one after that. And so on.

That's not to say there's anything wrong with looking ahead to that next career step. In fact, in journalism and many other fields, it's a good idea always to have a current resume ready and an eye open, in case the right opportunity comes along. But, when I'm hiring, I'm often most impressed with people have good things to say not just about what they want to do next, but about what they're doing now.

It's In the Bag

By Roy Peter Clark

I was only at Unity for one day, but the most spectacular thing to come out of it, in spite of the appearance of the presidential candidates, is this fabulous bag everybody received. Provided by The New York Times, it's this blue canvas multi-level bag with the multi-colored Unity logo and it inspired me to immediately empty the bag I brought and tuck it in my suitcase. I kept my first Unity bag for eight years and it took me around the world until it just wore out like an old dog. I'm planning to carry this one around through retirement.

Coverage Worth Comment

By Roy Peter Clark

The Washington Post has published John Kerry's remarks delivered at Unity today. Yesterday's Washington Post was a spectacular tribute to the Unity convention. Not just for the story they had about it, which was good, but because of the blatant displays of diversity and multiculturalism in their pages. There were prominent bylines of reporters with ethnic names, a front page story about professional athletes, a story about civil rights.

Related:

WashPost: A Buffet of Choices for the Newsroom

WashPost: Report Rates Diversity Poor in Washington Press Corps

The Color of Unity

By Karen Dunlap

Unity is billed as the nation's largest gathering of journalists of color. That's probably true, but a lot of those attending aren't journalists of color. White recruiters, speakers, and executives who want to show support/be seen swell the crowd.

It seems as though their numbers are growing. They get to meet younger journalists, bond with some of their own staff members, and "see how the other half lives," as we used to say when I grew up. This week, the other half is the majority.

And the Beat...

By Karen Dunlap

Drumsticks awaited those who attended the opening session of Unity, and drummers weren't far behind. Native drummers, Pilipino, African, and Latin drummers set the rhythm, while Unity leaders brought messages.

If four organizations representing a number of cultures can work through differences to come together in an event that has drawn more than 7,000 journalists, then why can't newsrooms come together in spite of cultural differences, leaders asked? Why don't news organizations achieve a diversity that better reflects the communities they serve? Why isn't there a greater diversity among those who cover the political conventions? Why don't people of color cover other big stories, like the Olympics? Why aren't they given more leadership opportunities?

New studies support the claims of little change. And in many newsrooms, the beat goes on.

Check here for updates from Poynter faculty and staff at UNITY 2004. Here's a list of who'll be attending:

• Fanua Borodzicz
• Roy Peter Clark
• Aly Colón
• Karen Dunlap
• Howard Finberg
• Jill Geisler
• Kenny Irby
• Pam Johnson
• Scott Libin
• Bill Mitchell
• Jeanne Nissenbaum
• Sara Quinn
• Bob Steele
• Matt Thompson
• Al Tompkins
• Cary Waulk
• Keith Woods