I see lots of coverage of the Chris Cuomo statement, but few members of the media weighing in directly, which is unfortunate. We in the media need to do a better job of explaining ourselves when we write or broadcast stories — & if there is a conflict, we must not sugarcoat it.
https://twitter.com/oliverdarcy/status/1427450474400296963
Received lots of calls this week from non-journalist friends asking about this situation. In journalism school, we are taught to be nonpartisan, to be objective, to not even participate in a political march or social demonstration in our free time. To be publicly neutral.
Of course, journalists have opinions. Spouses. Family members. And many of us vote, so we also have political leanings. But we’re not to bring that into our jobs. And we are vetted before we are even hired to ensure that does not happen.
When I first interviewed at The Wall Street Journal, I was asked if I was dating, married to, or related to anyone on Wall Street. That’s because WSJ did not want any conflicts of interest between my work (my public life) and home (my private life). This is basic.
So, is it a good idea to interview your brother, the governor, as a journalist? Absolutely not. And is it a good idea to help your brother with political issues while you are doing that? No, it is not. And was this mess entirely foreseeable? Yes, it was.
We can do better.
We can do better.
I would love to see other journalists weigh in on this. Not to condemn each other and/or Chris Cuomo & CNN (many will stay silent, lest they seem too critical in an era of constant media attacks), but to make clear this is not our ideal in our work, or for our readers.
None of us are perfect & we all have to take blistering criticism when we err. I am putting this out there in hopes there is a way to have a more open conversation (& to answer any questions), so those who are confused about media standards & ethics know journalists do care.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
