Maybe someone is watching the ethical behavior of their employees - out of fear for their bottom line if nothing else.
The New York Times ran an article today detailing some of the big boys who are running scared and acting ethical after recent problems with Enron. Maybe no one wants to go to jail?
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/29/business/29wall.html?incamp=article_popular_5
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Thursday, March 24, 2005
The demise of news
While newspapers and publishers scramble across the country to "save" their papers, they continue to fail to see what has caused their demise and the anger and distrust of their readers and/or viewers.
The public figured out long ago that television, radio, newspapers etc. are "all about the money." They know they're getting entertainment in exchange for ads. Advertising is the new money, the new barter. Being told on the one hand that a business is "fair and balanced" and then seeing incident after incident of how it's not - has killed the traditional media. People have figured out that they don't have to depend on a columnist or an editor for an opinion. They've learned that they can not only have their own opinion, but express it too. And, with blogs, they don't have to wait to see if a newspaper editor will "approve" their letter to the editor. They can get online.
I received an e-mail today from a reader who followed my stories while I was at the CKNJ. He told me that editor Becky Dial editorialized about how important sunshine laws were and spoke of the KPA (Kentucky Press Association's) lawsuit to have juvenile court records made public. I find it amusing that on the one hand Landmark/CKNJ want to pay me to keep my mouth shut about [in my opinion unethical things that constitute an abuse of police power] and to keep other information quiet, while at the same time demanding open records of juveniles for their own purposes. Odd isn't it? Can't have your cake and eat it too. Free speech is NOT for sale however.
And - while they are demanding open records of juveniles - I wonder how will they use them or if they use them? If you're cutting deals with the police department to gag a reporter (like they did with me), exactly how trustworthy are they? How much information will actually make it to the pages of the paper? Will information or records that might make the police look bad ever see print? I wonder. Even if they get the information they aren't trained to use it.
While in the employ of Landmark/CKNJ/The Springfield Sun, I took a computer aided reporting class on my own "time and dime". Now "CAR" as it is referred to, is an excellent method for investigative reporters. Some of Landmark's own properties have used CAR to do brilliant stories. It works by obtaining databases (public record databases) and putting the information into a spread sheet - usually in Excell. Numbers, facts, statistics, records can then all be sorted and tracked and compared at the push of a few keys. It allows reporters to finally, quickly and effectively spot trends, fraud, abuse and patterns in budgets, traffic tickets etc. It is as indispensable to a good reporter as their computer or their telephone. Yet - in spite of repeated requests for a copy of Excell I was denied. I even offered to buy my own copy and use it at work. No go. I was told I could use the program on the editor's computer - hard to do when the editor is using their computer and you can't exactly work overtime to get on the computer.
A good CAR database could have quickly determined whether cops were profiling black drivers, or if the budget was being manipulated or who was doing what in city and/or county government. But - that would upset the apple cart and the stream of "tips" from the police. That, in turn, would negatively impact the revenue stream of the paper.
When I told Dial that police responding as they did - "Keep Becky Blanton away or my officers won't talk to you anymore" was a red flag - or should have been a red flag that something was going on...I was greeted with anger and hostililty - as though she felt a deep need to protect whatever was there. Now, you can have a good working relationship with any government entity, but when you fail to even want to consider the possibility that they might be hiding something - there's a problem.
So why exactly DO people read the paper? Do they want the truth? Or do they want feel good stories and sports? If for instance, I'm a reader in ANYTOWN, USA and my police department is misusing funds - resulting in a money shortage, resulting in an increase in taxes - from say something like increased waste management fees or a jail - then yeah - I want the truth. Will I get it? Not if reporters at the ANYTOWN JOURNAL aren't allowed the time, tools or training to dig for that truth.
It's so much easier to rewrite a press release, get a few quotes to "localize the story" [notice CKNJ doesn't care so much about real experts as much as it does about having a local person comment on a situation. Doesn't matter if the local person is as clueless as a brick about an issue, if they have an opinion their comments rank above anyone outside the area who is more experienced, educated or informed about the subject.]
I think they call that inbreeding when it happens in the general population. "We don't want any outside DNA coming in here and messing up the family so we'll just breed among ourselves."
When that happens in a newspaper you get the same results as physical inbreeding - distortions, abortion of malformed ideas, ignorance and dysfunction. Do you, as a reader, really believe that you're better served by local commentary if another expert has an insightful idea? Sure, there's a place for local commentary - but don't you want fresh ideas? New blood? How do you get it? You buy the Courier Journal. You go online. You search until you find it and hope somewhere, someone is writing about needs to be said.
That's not the formula at CKNJ. Find a local voice or person to comment. If they're qualified to comment then all the better. If they're not - at least make sure they live, work, play, worship or drive through Taylor County or Campbellsville on a regular basis. And, if you have an expert - bury their comments or expertise four paragraphs down where the average reader will fail to go.
When the world was made up of villages that was fine. Read about your neighbor. But how many of you really know any of your neighbors? Do you really care if someone is from the area if they are explaining the psychology of rapists or pedophiles? No. You want the expert's opinion - not the local beat cop....
The world IS a village now. People want the BEST information possible, not the most local information possible.
If you had to have heart surgery would you go to the best surgeon you could find and/or afford? Or would you say, "Well, golly gee - I'm living in Taylor County, might'n I oughtta find a local doctor?" So why the heck would you want or expect any less from from your local news? Sure, there are many things that are structured for local comment. But there are many other areas that are not.
Why are papers across the country stuggling? For just this reason - no ethics, no truth, distorted news and an eye towards the bottom line, not the truth.
The public figured out long ago that television, radio, newspapers etc. are "all about the money." They know they're getting entertainment in exchange for ads. Advertising is the new money, the new barter. Being told on the one hand that a business is "fair and balanced" and then seeing incident after incident of how it's not - has killed the traditional media. People have figured out that they don't have to depend on a columnist or an editor for an opinion. They've learned that they can not only have their own opinion, but express it too. And, with blogs, they don't have to wait to see if a newspaper editor will "approve" their letter to the editor. They can get online.
I received an e-mail today from a reader who followed my stories while I was at the CKNJ. He told me that editor Becky Dial editorialized about how important sunshine laws were and spoke of the KPA (Kentucky Press Association's) lawsuit to have juvenile court records made public. I find it amusing that on the one hand Landmark/CKNJ want to pay me to keep my mouth shut about [in my opinion unethical things that constitute an abuse of police power] and to keep other information quiet, while at the same time demanding open records of juveniles for their own purposes. Odd isn't it? Can't have your cake and eat it too. Free speech is NOT for sale however.
And - while they are demanding open records of juveniles - I wonder how will they use them or if they use them? If you're cutting deals with the police department to gag a reporter (like they did with me), exactly how trustworthy are they? How much information will actually make it to the pages of the paper? Will information or records that might make the police look bad ever see print? I wonder. Even if they get the information they aren't trained to use it.
While in the employ of Landmark/CKNJ/The Springfield Sun, I took a computer aided reporting class on my own "time and dime". Now "CAR" as it is referred to, is an excellent method for investigative reporters. Some of Landmark's own properties have used CAR to do brilliant stories. It works by obtaining databases (public record databases) and putting the information into a spread sheet - usually in Excell. Numbers, facts, statistics, records can then all be sorted and tracked and compared at the push of a few keys. It allows reporters to finally, quickly and effectively spot trends, fraud, abuse and patterns in budgets, traffic tickets etc. It is as indispensable to a good reporter as their computer or their telephone. Yet - in spite of repeated requests for a copy of Excell I was denied. I even offered to buy my own copy and use it at work. No go. I was told I could use the program on the editor's computer - hard to do when the editor is using their computer and you can't exactly work overtime to get on the computer.
A good CAR database could have quickly determined whether cops were profiling black drivers, or if the budget was being manipulated or who was doing what in city and/or county government. But - that would upset the apple cart and the stream of "tips" from the police. That, in turn, would negatively impact the revenue stream of the paper.
When I told Dial that police responding as they did - "Keep Becky Blanton away or my officers won't talk to you anymore" was a red flag - or should have been a red flag that something was going on...I was greeted with anger and hostililty - as though she felt a deep need to protect whatever was there. Now, you can have a good working relationship with any government entity, but when you fail to even want to consider the possibility that they might be hiding something - there's a problem.
So why exactly DO people read the paper? Do they want the truth? Or do they want feel good stories and sports? If for instance, I'm a reader in ANYTOWN, USA and my police department is misusing funds - resulting in a money shortage, resulting in an increase in taxes - from say something like increased waste management fees or a jail - then yeah - I want the truth. Will I get it? Not if reporters at the ANYTOWN JOURNAL aren't allowed the time, tools or training to dig for that truth.
It's so much easier to rewrite a press release, get a few quotes to "localize the story" [notice CKNJ doesn't care so much about real experts as much as it does about having a local person comment on a situation. Doesn't matter if the local person is as clueless as a brick about an issue, if they have an opinion their comments rank above anyone outside the area who is more experienced, educated or informed about the subject.]
I think they call that inbreeding when it happens in the general population. "We don't want any outside DNA coming in here and messing up the family so we'll just breed among ourselves."
When that happens in a newspaper you get the same results as physical inbreeding - distortions, abortion of malformed ideas, ignorance and dysfunction. Do you, as a reader, really believe that you're better served by local commentary if another expert has an insightful idea? Sure, there's a place for local commentary - but don't you want fresh ideas? New blood? How do you get it? You buy the Courier Journal. You go online. You search until you find it and hope somewhere, someone is writing about needs to be said.
That's not the formula at CKNJ. Find a local voice or person to comment. If they're qualified to comment then all the better. If they're not - at least make sure they live, work, play, worship or drive through Taylor County or Campbellsville on a regular basis. And, if you have an expert - bury their comments or expertise four paragraphs down where the average reader will fail to go.
When the world was made up of villages that was fine. Read about your neighbor. But how many of you really know any of your neighbors? Do you really care if someone is from the area if they are explaining the psychology of rapists or pedophiles? No. You want the expert's opinion - not the local beat cop....
The world IS a village now. People want the BEST information possible, not the most local information possible.
If you had to have heart surgery would you go to the best surgeon you could find and/or afford? Or would you say, "Well, golly gee - I'm living in Taylor County, might'n I oughtta find a local doctor?" So why the heck would you want or expect any less from from your local news? Sure, there are many things that are structured for local comment. But there are many other areas that are not.
Why are papers across the country stuggling? For just this reason - no ethics, no truth, distorted news and an eye towards the bottom line, not the truth.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Why I no longer write for Landmark Communications, Inc.
Read my lips - Landmark Communications, Inc.
FREE SPEECH is NOT for sale.
I've been offered money by Landmark Communications to keep my mouth shut - $1,900 minus taxes, but I'm not taking it....
According to Landmark's own ethical standards they "believe" in the independence of their employees and in their ethical separation from sources and seamy influences. They state:
"The independence of our editors, reporters and photographers is not for sale…."
But I have proof of a different reality.....
According to memos and disciplinary actions in my personnel file and my own complaints of harassment and unethical treatment at the hands of unethical management, I was recently terminated from Landmark Communications, Inc. d/b/a The Central Kentucky News Journal and The Springfield Sun.In order to protect the paper's "revenue stream" [a direct quote from Publisher Richard RoBards] and in violation of basic newspaper ethics as set forth by both The Society for Professional Journalists and Poynter.org the CKNJ put money and income and easy access to secret police tips and information above journalistic ethics and their duty to their readers.
Among those ethics listed by SPJ is an admonition to:
Act Independently
Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public's right to know.
Journalists should:
Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.
Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.
Disclose unavoidable conflicts.
Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable.
Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence news coverage.
Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money; avoid bidding for news.
CKNJ disciplined me for what I claim was a legal, ethical and professional action on my part - speaking to a police detective in open court after identifying myself as a reporter for the "News-Journal."
Campbellsville Police Detective Patricia Skeen willingly talked to me in open court with several police officers around her. She claims I didn't introduce myself as a reporter. But - my first words out of my mouth were - "Hi, I'm Becky Blanton from the News-Journal and I've been trying to get hold of you for a couple of weeks. I left a couple of messages on your voice mail, but you haven't called me back. Do you have a minute to just talk?" I was holding a tape recorder and reporter's notebook in my hand at the time and she willingly agreed to speak with me.
As we talked back and forth about the status of sexual predators in Campbellsville and the difficulty in tracking them down and in rehabilitating them, Skeen said something particularly insightful. I ASKED HER IF I COULD QUOTE HER ON THAT. She said "no."
Respecting that "no," but wanting some kind of comment, I said, "What CAN I quote you on?" And she gave me a quote - a quote, by the way, which she later told my editor WAS correct and accurate. Our meeting and chat was NOT hostile, but rather relaxed - or so I thought. Yet, two hours later Skeen is on the phone complaining to my editor, Becky Dial.
Dial then demanded to know what I said to this woman. I explained what happened just as I did here - a version Skeen now denies occurred. I can't print Skeen's version because I didn't hear or read of it - but got it second-hand from Dial and CKNJ Publisher Richard RoBards.
Skeen's version of what happened obviously counted more than mine did and for the next several months I paid dearly for her anger at me and the paper by being "disciplined" several times and then ultimately losing my job over it. I was told I could not go by the police station, could not talk to the police, e-mail the police or have any contact with the police. I was literally being "disciplined" for trying to do my job. There is a very lengthy memo in my personnel file regarding the incident. I'll be happy to post the entire memo here in the coming weeks.
Amazingly enough - Dial THEN assigns me a series of stories on truancy and tells me if I have questions for the police - that I'll have to go through her to get quotes for the story. The police beat - mind you - is NOT my usual beat. WHY, after being told I can't talk to the police, am I being assigned a story that I will need to talk to the police about?
Well, because if I don't meet deadline or do a bad job, I can be fired for "just cause" for not doing my job. Is it all starting to come together? Fortunately I was able to complete the stories - even expanding the series and ultimately winning an honorable mention for them in a Landmark in-house competition judged by an independent newspaper - The Courier Journal.
To make a long story short, Detective Pat Skeen and former police chief Bill Cassell used their "police power" to keep me from doing my job, threating to withhold [according to RoBards and Dial] information and comments and "inside tips" about "perp walks" and pedophiles and even non-public-record information which included things such as the age and details and names of juveniles involved in sex crimes. Those juicy tips would no longer be fed to the newspaper if I were not kept away from the police, Cassell allegedly [according to RoBards and Dial] told CKNJ.
Those threats from the police ultimately resulted in my being fired from the newspaper. Why did the police want me kept away? Who knows? Perhaps they'd read my past articles on police corruption on www.sierratimes.com [THP Officer Resigns] or the first article on this corrupt Tennessee Highway Patrol Officer, or other investigative pieces and feared I was looking at the Campbellsville Police Department as well.
Since this incident I've heard from elected officials in Campbellsville that there is a concern over police "profiling" of black drivers and of corruption among the officers. Will there ever be a story on those things? Not likely - at least not from CKNJ if this is how they do business across the board. Do I have to worry about retaliation from the Campbellsville Police Department or any of their fellow officers? I don't know. Do I? Time will tell.
Landmark Communications, Inc. d/b/a The Central Kentucky News Journal, went along with Cassell's demands - admitting to me they did so in order to protect their "inside source" and non-public record news tips in order to do what was best for the newspaper's "revenue stream."
When you have newspapers co-operating with police not to get information, but to violate basic human civil rights and liberties in order to make money, there's something wrong with that picture isn't there?
RoBards also told me I could not talk to Skeen or the officers involved because "she's very, very angry and we're trying to protect you from her anger."
WHAT!!?? Then he later tells me I'm "paranoid" about the police. How does a normal person feel when told they need to be "protected" from police anger? He also said a judge told him that I might want to "be careful" because the police had "taken an interest" in my car as well. Isn't that amazing and coincidental timing?
RoBards later said his "timing" on mentioning my car had been "off" about six months - that he meant to mention I shouldn't have my dog in the car when I first started working there. The fact that NOW a judge had mentioned it to him and he was telling me about it...was mere coincidence. Do you believe that?
Months after these incidents, after being disciplined and badgered and constantly reminded that I was not to contact police and a series of e-mails in which I have to ask and receive permission to even pursue feature story leads I was finally terminated.
At my termination I was given an agreement which offered me $1,900 to not talk about things and to "hold Landmark Communications in a positive and upbeat light." I have 21 days in which to decide whether to sign or not. I choose NOT to sign. Like I said, "Free speech is NOT for sale."
I have elected to keep in step with The Society for Professional Journalists ethical admonition to "Expose unethical practices of journalists and the news media" I am doing so here and this blog will remain up indefinitely. I will never agree to any kind of gag order. I will remain free to discuss and talk about the factual events that happened to me and for which I have documentation of.
According to Landmark's own ethic's policy:
Employees must never become obligated to news sources, advertisers, suppliers or any person or organization by receiving gifts or favors. Situations will arise that call for judgment. We need not be reduced to arguing with sources over who will pay for a cup of coffee or a hot dog. If you have any doubt, check with your team leader.
Obviously I don't rank as high as a hot dog. Neither the Central Kentucky News Journal or Landmark Communications, Inc. have honored the code of ethics in dealing with this situation and I have the memos, e-mails and personnel files to prove it.
Look for them all soon...
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