Comments on: Honesty is the best journalistic policy http://blog.fagstein.com/2007/11/15/honesty-is-the-best-journalistic-policy/ Can you think of a better name? Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:01:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: blork http://blog.fagstein.com/2007/11/15/honesty-is-the-best-journalistic-policy/#comment-2780 blork Fri, 16 Nov 2007 16:33:27 +0000 http://blog.fagstein.com/2007/11/15/honesty-is-the-best-journalistic-policy/#comment-2780 The emotional involvement I'm referring to is the fact that her child attends the school where something terrible happened. Ergo, as a parent, she has a DIRECT emotional involvment in the fallout of that event. E.g., concern about her child's reaction to it, concern about her child's safety, a personal reaction to how the school treats her child, etc. Her emotional involvement is greater than yours or mine simply because of the proximity of the event to her own child. That puts it on a different level. The emotional involvement I’m referring to is the fact that her child attends the school where something terrible happened. Ergo, as a parent, she has a DIRECT emotional involvment in the fallout of that event. E.g., concern about her child’s reaction to it, concern about her child’s safety, a personal reaction to how the school treats her child, etc.

Her emotional involvement is greater than yours or mine simply because of the proximity of the event to her own child. That puts it on a different level.

]]> By: Fagstein http://blog.fagstein.com/2007/11/15/honesty-is-the-best-journalistic-policy/#comment-2758 Fagstein Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:23:10 +0000 http://blog.fagstein.com/2007/11/15/honesty-is-the-best-journalistic-policy/#comment-2758 Agreed on both counts (though I'm not sure if it was necessarily "emotional" to criticize a school for something, and it's hard not to get emotional about a case like this). Agreed on both counts (though I’m not sure if it was necessarily “emotional” to criticize a school for something, and it’s hard not to get emotional about a case like this).

]]> By: blork http://blog.fagstein.com/2007/11/15/honesty-is-the-best-journalistic-policy/#comment-2757 blork Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:13:29 +0000 http://blog.fagstein.com/2007/11/15/honesty-is-the-best-journalistic-policy/#comment-2757 In a case like this, it's less about the fact that she had previously expressed an opinion as it is about the fact that she has an emotional involvement with the story. Even then, it's only a problem if she doesn't disclose her involvement, or attachment, to the event. "Disclosure" should be the word of the day in conversations about this, because that's what everything hinges on. In other words, if she did disclose that she's the parent of a child who attends that school, then there should be no problem. If she did not disclose her involvement, then it is a problem. In a case like this, it’s less about the fact that she had previously expressed an opinion as it is about the fact that she has an emotional involvement with the story.

Even then, it’s only a problem if she doesn’t disclose her involvement, or attachment, to the event. “Disclosure” should be the word of the day in conversations about this, because that’s what everything hinges on.

In other words, if she did disclose that she’s the parent of a child who attends that school, then there should be no problem. If she did not disclose her involvement, then it is a problem.

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