Hoosier State Press Association - The Indiana Publisher
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/129291
May 9, 2013 Page 3 News practices tread close to censorship Editor's note – This column first appeared in Quill, the magazine of the Society of Professional Journalists, and is re-printed with permission. O n March 13, a member of Vice President Joe Biden's press office staff demanded that a student journalist delete photos he had taken during a university-sponsored event featuring Biden. "It's clear from the circumstance that the journalist did nothing wrong," Lucy Dalglish, Philip Merrill College of Journalism dean, is quoted in a Capital News Service story about the incident. (Dalglish is former executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.) In a letter of protest, Dalglish wrote: "Rockville is not a third-world country where police-state style media censorship is expected. I request an immediate apology. "I also request that your staff be trained in basic First Amendment rights of citizens and media." The temptation may be strong to call this an aberration, a misunderstanding between an over-zealous press staffer and a green reporter. But that would ignore the fact that the incident highlights a problem that has worsened in recent years: the conflict between journalists and government public information officers. Over the past decade or so, the Internet and the advent of social media have made it easier for government agencies and officials to disseminate information to the public unfiltered by journalists. That is certainly government's right and often a benefit to the public. But when government agencies and elected officials prohibit staff and subordinate agency heads from communicating with journalists and insist on tracking or monitoring any contact with journalists, the public is ill-served. The Society of Professional Journalists, through its Freedom of Information Committee, sponsored a study last year on "mediated access," surveying journalists who cover federal agencies Guest Voice Sonny Albarado to learn how those reporters perceive the role of public information officers. The survey report "found that information flow in the United States is highly regulated by public affairs officers, to the point where most reporters considered the control to be a form of censorship and an impediment to providing information to the public." As part of SPJ's effort to draw attention to this issue, the study's principal author, Carolyn Carlson, volunteered to survey public information officers this year. She's a member of the FOI Committee, a past national SPJ president and a professor at Kennesaw State University. Carlson surveyed current and former members of the National Association of Government Communicators, which represents PIOs and PAOs for federal, state and local government agencies. Carlson and SPJ released the new survey report this year. The National Association of Government Communicators is a co-sponsor of the report. "Monitoring reporters' interviews with government officials has become a routine practice among government public relations officials, mainly to protect against misquotes," the latest report says. Ensuring accuracy regarding an agency's information or an official's words is justifiable and certainly part of a PIO/ PAO's job description. In reaction to this growing trend, a new group formed last year in the wake of the 2012 Mediated Access report. Stop the New American Censorship aims to focus awareness on what it sees as the silencing of thousands of people who could speak about matters that are the public's business if only their minders (PIOs) would let them. (Disclosure: Stop the New American Censorship's leadership is composed of some members of SPJ's Freedom of Information Committee.) Kathryn Foxhall, a freelance health trade journalist and co-founder of the new group, also created a blog, BlockingReportingUSA, to collect examples of this kind of heavy-handed interference with journalists. Old journalistic hands and PR veterans might say in response that a good reporter learns how to go around the PIO and develop good sources. Too often, though, going around the press office results in punishment, not just for the reporter but for the agency employee foolish enough to speak, even off the record. Or a Catch-22 situation develops, as in an item from the BlockingReportingUSA blog in which a reporter calls the elections division of the Missouri secretary of state's office to ask a question about ballot petitions. The reporter is put on hold briefly, after which a new voice comes on the line. He repeats his question and this conversation unfolds: "Well, let me check with the elections division." "Wait a minute," I say, "where are you? Aren't you in the elections division?" "No, I'm in the information division. We handle all media calls." "So I called the elections division with a simple question and got sent to you, and now you have to contact the elections division to find out what I wanted to ask them?" "Yes, if you'll give me your contact number I can go get that for you." The same reporter noted on his own blog: "Information the public deserves to have is being hidden, intentionally, by public officials, those who claim to be public servants, those who ask the public to trust them to carry out policies for the public good. One of the roles of the media should be to let the public know if that trust is being abused." He's absolutely right. Sonny Albarado, the 2012-13 SPJ president, works as projects editor at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. News in brief Editorial page has new editor Karen Francisco, a Journal Gazette editorial writer since 2000, has been named editorial page editor at the Fort Wayne Karen Francisco news paper. Francisco's editorial writing has focused on issues involving education and state government. She has been honored with first-place awards from the Indiana Associ ated Press Managing Editors Association, the Inland Press Association, the Hoosier State Press Association Foundation, Indiana Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Indiana State Teachers Association. She joined The Journal Gazette after nearly two decades at Muncie newspapers, where she was a reporter and editorial page editor. Photographer repeats award The chief photographer at The Herald (Jasper) has been judged the nation's best. Dave Weatherwax was named the National Press Photographers Association's Best of Photojournalism 2013 Photojournalist of the Year for smaller markets. Weatherwax's photos earned him the same small-market crown he won in 2012. The award is given in two categories – for newspapers with a circulation of more than 100,000 and for those with a circulation of less than 100,000; The Herald's circulation is 11,000. Weatherwax, 31, worked at The Herald as an intern in 2006 and returned in 2010 to coordinate the photo department's editing and planning. The Michigan State University graduate and Grand Rapids, Mich., native worked previously at the Jackson (Mich.) Citizen Patriot. NUVO award honors O'Bannon NUVO has honored Judy O'Bannon with a Cultural Vision Lifetime Achieve ment Award. O'Ban non, per haps best known for Judy O'Bannon her role as first lady of Indiana from 1997-2003, is chairwoman of O'Bannon Publishing Co., publisher of the Corydon Democrat and Clarion News. Much of her life has been dedicated to community engagement, according to NUVO. A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in social work, she was selected as a Rockefeller Theological Scholar and was the first woman to attend the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Society. In addition, she holds nine honorary degrees. O'Bannon's other media involvement includes hosting and producing the WFYI-TV public television series Communities Building Community as well as her TV series, "Judy O'Bannon's Foreign Exchange." Now in its 15th year, NUVO's Cultural Vision awards were created to celebrate individuals and organizations that bring new perspectives and innovative ideas to Indianapolis. Paper welcomes staff writer Amanda Browning of Westport recently joined the Greensburg Daily News as its newest staff writer. Browning, a wife and mother of three, also writes fiction. She has been a resident of the area for many years and is a 2003 graduate of South Decatur High School. Browning said she will continue writing fiction novels in her spare time. Reporter works education beat Without publishing anything new, the Fayetteville Observer ad package created new, year-long revenue in just one week! Contact Advantage Newspaper Consultants today to learn more about creating NEW annual revenue with your existing core products. Fayetteville Observer's Platinum TV ad package exceeded revenue goal in less than a week! Ask us about our digital editions! 910-323-0349 | info@newspaperconsultants.com | www.newspaperconsultants.com Recent Indiana Wes leyan University graduate Eric Stoff, 22, has joined the Peru Tribune staff. Stoff will take over the education and general assignment beats with the Tribune. He graduated with a degree in convergent journalism and a minor in music. Send promotions, announcements, staff changes and other corporate news to mtuley@hspa.com.