I read a few days ago that a candidate for Ohio's 12 Congressional District, David Robinson, was coming to speak at OWU tonight at 8 p.m. The district encompasses Columbus and some of the outer lying suburbs, including Delaware.
Today at our meeting for The Transcript we needed someone to cover the event.
As a constituent of Ohio's 12th district (my home address is in Reynoldsburg, Ohio - a suburb of Columbus), I thought it would be unethical if I were to cover the story because I will be forced to vote for him or against him in the upcoming election.
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3 comments:
Kaitlin -- On the class weblog we posted a link to a discussion on the very question you raise by reporters at politico.com. I happen to agree with the reporter who does vote but tries to be as fair as possible in his reporting. He has an interesting take on objectivity, too. Take time to read the story. You strike me as being pretty level-headed and your comments in class seem fair and balanced. I think you probably could cover the congressman and still vote. It would be your decision in the voting booth whether you voted for this particular congressman. Now if you were covering this particular politician on a regular basis, I could see where you might feel conflicted. Remember when we heard former Washington Post Editor Ben Bradlee say he didn't vote when he was sitting in the editor's chair? Let's be sure to talk about your question in class.
Kaitlin: First, Frank is being kind to characterize you as level-headed. But, that said, you're pretty smart and I don't think you let your views influence your fairness. So, in retrospect, maybe you are level-headed and I just hate to admit it. But, I don't think you have to forfeit your citizenship to be a reporter. No one expects you to be disenfranchised and, in fact, I'm not sure I want to work with someone who doesn't regard voting as important, notwithstanding Ben Bradlee. He was a great editor, but he was also, at times, a noted contrarian. He loved to argue no matter the subject. The best part about Ben was that great wife of his -- Sally Quinn. She was a looker in her day and made many of us in the male species salivate. Keep up the good work.
Kaitlin -- You ought to read Dispatch Editor Ben Marrison's Inside Story blog on the same issue. The comments might surprise you. Ben's blog is linked from our class weblog.
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