If "these people have as much right to voice their opinion as we do" then why did the Washington Post forbid its reporters to attend such events, even on their own time?
Should the reporters be allowed to make political advertisements for one party or the other -- "on their own time"? Because that's the way your argument is trending.
When one takes a job one signs on to the rules of the employer. For journalists this is just one of them.
~LS
I don't work for the Post but I'd guess it has something to do with their methods of remaining unbiased run amuck into the realm of uncontroversiality.
Should the reporters be allowed to make political advertisements for one party or the other -- "on their own time"? Because that's the way your argument is trending.
Of course they should. It's our Constitutional Right. If ones opinion detracts some of ones patrons then that's the price one pays. Yes, if the employer is hurt also then they should have a say in his continued employment. But let's face it, there's verrrry few reporters who's bias doesn't already show trough like a search light when it comes to politics. That goes ditto for their employers. I also don't think you'd argue that the employer's and the employee's opinion's are pretty well aligned before the first report is ever filed.
When one takes a job one signs on to the rules of the employer. For journalists this is just one of them.
Agreed. But when a companies policy leads to the disfranchisement (as in freedom of speech not deprived of one's right to vote) of its employees then that employee has some tough choices to make.
There's no question that maintaining ones objectivity is a difficult task. Probably the biggest burden on a journalist. Maintaining ones objectivity and remaining unbiased are two different things though.
I don't know if you watch PBS but there's a man on there named Tavis Smiley. He's definitely black and definitely a liberal but when it's time to discuss something white or conservative he does it factually, respectfully and, most importantly, fairly regularly. He presents the story and leaves the opinions to the viewer.
This is the method of maintaining impartiality, not muzzling and neutering and hiding behind a veil of ignorance.