2004 News: New Ethics Column and Survey

New column to address ethical concerns that threaten industry
By Pam Luecke, Donald W. Reynolds Professor of Business Journalism,
Washington and Lee University

Twelve years ago, financial journalist Gary Klott prodded the Society of American Business Editors and Writers to strengthen its code of ethics to address advertiser issues and the use of non-journalists.

His intent was clear: to maintain a news organization's editorial integrity, in recognition that it is our most valuable asset.
At the time, he wrote that surveys - including one by SABEW - "found that a sizable segment of news organizations had apparently violated the most fundamental tenet of journalism: sacrificing the reader's interest for commercial gain."

We wish we could report that Gary's crusading had solved everything - that business journalism has become a beacon in the profession and is blissfully immune from the ethical lapses that mar our profession.Yet the dot-com frenzy of the late 1990s put even more stress on business journalism. Special technology sections sprouted to baldly boost advertising revenue.Online business-news sites became cluttered with sponsored links and pop-up ads. And columns by local brokers and investment managers continue to find a home.

Clearly, the matter of ethics and business journalism is not something the association - or a newsroom -- can do once and consider done. Ethics must be an ongoing conversation, addressing new issues and new practitioners.

SABEW begins this column in The Business Journalist to make sure that's the case - that Gary's legacy is not a static code but a living document to guide business journalists today and tomorrow.Consider it also a tribute to Gary, who died of a heart attack in August 2002 at the age of 52.

I'm honored to write the inaugural column. I met Gary more than a dozen years ago when he married Sandy Duerr, with whom I worked as a business journalist in Louisville, Ky.I respected Gary's intellect and humor; I turned to his tax Web site for advice I could trust.I wish he were still here to bring clarity to industry issues that are increasingly murky.

My hope and SABEW's is that this column can identify and illuminate the practical issues that vex your daily work as well as the larger issues that threaten our industry.

To start that process, we invite you to complete the accompanying survey.It is similar to one conducted by SABEW in the early 1990s, but we've added questions to explore issues that have emerged since. Please complete it anonymously and return it via fax or e-mail by April 10. We'll report the results in an upcoming Business Journalist and use your responses as inspiration for future columns.

SABEW's code of ethics states that members themselves must be the guardians of the profession's ethics.
We can keep Gary Klott's memory alive by doing just that.

Pam Luecke is the Donald W. Reynolds Professor of Business Journalism at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va.Before taking this position in 2001, she was a newspaper journalist for 25 years.

Click here to open a Microsoft Word file of the ethics survey. Please fill out and return it by April 10 to Pam Luecke via email lueckep@wu.edu or fax: (540)458-8845. You need not sign your name.