Posted on 10/06/2008 11:23:58 AM PDT by jazusamo
The public should know that ethical principles are down the drain, at least for journalists. The mainstream media has already conclusively and extensively demonstrated it doesn't let the facts on Sen. Barack Obama get in the way of their reporting and now it demonstrates it has little regard for the prohibitions against conflicts of interest.
Take the case of Gwen Ifill, of PBS, who moderated the vice presidential debate. She's writing a book on The Age of Obama, scheduled for release on inauguration day, but doesn't bother to relate that to the folks setting up the debate at the Commission on Presidential Debates. That sounds like insensitivity to ethics and failure of common sense. If that's not enough for you, when the word gets out about her conflict of interest nothing happens. She is not removed as moderator. And there's more. Leading journalists, including perhaps the best moderator in the business, Brit Hume, and the best commentator in the business, Charles Krauthammer, are willing to give her a free pass. Finally, Ms. Ifill could have at least disclosed her glaring conflict of interest at the beginning of the debate, but she failed there, too.
A parade of journalists vouch for her integrity and her reputation as a tough questioner of both sides of the political aisle. Needless to say, Ms. Ifill denies there's a problem and calls on the public to watch the debate and see if she is fair and balanced.
The problem with PBS, the debate people, Ms. Ifill, and journalists is that they don't seem to understand the reason for rules against conflict of interest. These rules are designed for all journalists. You could be a saint, a paragon and a journalist rolled into one, and you would still have to pay attention to the rules of conflict of interest. They are designed to protect against a journalist, a lawyer, a doctor, or anyone else getting themselves into a situation where there personal interest might be in conflict with what is right. The rules are designed to prohibit a conflict, or even the appearance of a conflict, of interest.
If you go to a lawyer to bring your lawsuit against the ABC Company, and the lawyer has a 50 percent interest in the ABC Company, that's a conflict of interest and he should not take your case. It doesn't make any difference if he has a sterling reputation for integrity. And it doesn't make any difference if distinguished lawyers line up to vouch for him.
The Ifill fiasco is a classic conflict of interest, which was best put into perspective by Dick Morris. He noted her book on The Age of Obama is coming out on inauguration day. If Mr. Obama is to be inaugurated, Mr. Morris, who is a best-selling author himself, estimates that Ms. Ifill stands to make between $350,000 and $1 million on the book. If Sen. John McCain is elected, Mr. Morris estimates she will sell perhaps six books to her relatives, and perhaps make $25 on those sales. So she has a conflict that might make her consciously or subconsciously favor Mr. Obama in the debate. It doesn't make any difference what she does in fact. The rules are there so there will be no conflict or even an appearance of conflict and so the public won't have to wonder if the debate is fixed. That rule should have special force in such an important debate.
The mainstream media is so loaded with dishonest, fraudulent and biased journalism, it is hard to imagine it could do much worse. But the mainstream media even further disgraces itself by allowing this kind of blatant conflict of interest. What makes it even more aggravating is the holier-than-thou position Ms. Ifill and PBS take when it is somebody else's conflict of interest.
Andrew C. McCarthy, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, wrote a compelling piece on PBS and its conflict of interest titled "Do as I Say, Not As I Do: Gwen Ifill's conflict for thee but not for me." Example: When the Italian government considered privatizing its television industry, Italian President Silvio Berlusconi was a television magnate. Ms. Ifill was among the first to identify and condemn the conflict of interest. Mr. McCarthy writes, "Bingo! So clear. How could a public figure such as Mr. Berlusconi fulfill his fiduciary obligation to the citizens on a matter of great public consequence if he had a private financial stake in the outcome? Why, even if he were scruple personified, even if he played it absolutely straight, wouldn't the public have a right to wonder whether they'd been had? Wouldn't such an obvious compromise besmirch the integrity of the process? Wouldn't the citizens properly wonder what else such an ethically insensitive system might rig?"
Mr. McCarthy goes on, "Yes, among the staff of 'Newshour' [the PBS program where Ms. Ifill reports], nothing stirs the pot quite like conflicts of interest ... at least as long as it's not a 'Newshour' star creating a blatant appearance of impropriety."
If you search through the archives of "Newshour," Mr. McCarthy says you'll be overwhelmed by how often it is reported and how strongly it is condemned. Conflict of interest is a cardinal sin of "Newshour" ... but not when Ms. Ifill is involved.
For example, former Sen. Bill Frist was roundly condemned on "Newshour" because he held hospital stock, a conflict with his legislative responsibilities involving the health care delivery system. Even the host of PBS's "Newshour," Jim Lehrer, asked whether there was a conflict in Ken Starr acting as independent counsel during the impeachment investigation of former president Bill Clinton. That conflict arose because Mr. Starr had represented tobacco companies and Mr. Clinton had fought for legislation that would have major adverse effects on the tobacco industry.
Now if all that's not bad enough, the PBS/Ifill conflict of interest scandal gets even worse. She has already amply demonstrated her pro-Obama and anti-Palin bias. Mr. McCarthy writes, "Even among the adoring Obamedia, Ifill's swoon is singular. MSNBC's cringe-inducing Chris Matthews volunteers his leg tingles (thanks for sharing there, Chris); Ifill is thankfully more discreet but still leaves no need to wonder. She is so deep in the Anointed One's hip pocket, she can feel Obama's leg tingle."
That is simply part of the deal. Ms. Ifill and PBS heap favorable coverage on Mr. Obama. He reciprocates by providing full access to the candidate. This helps create the raw material for the book. All that is a good deal for Mr. Obama and Ms. Ifill, but a decidedly bad deal for the public, who have to be wondering whether she consciously or unconsciously favored Mr. Obama's side during the debate. Some thought she did, by certain questions and by cutting off the debate when it seemed to be not go his way.
Finally, the defense offered by Ms. Ifill's cronies is as smelly as her blatant conflict of interest. They say the book is not Obamaphilic or even Obamacentric. It's just about black politicians. But wait a minute. The title of the book includes the words, The Age of Obama. Furthermore, the first sentence of the publisher's release for the book glows that the book has set about "shedding new light on the impact of Barack Obama's stunning presidential campaign." On top of that, the book's release date is the inauguration day of the next president.
Some have even said because the PBS/Ifill conflict of interest has been exposed, Ms. Ifill will lean over backward to be fair to Gov. Sarah Palin. That illustrates the reason why conflicts of interest should be avoided. A moderator should not be leaning backward or forward. A moderator should be in the middle. Unfortunately, the mainstream media, along with PBS and Ms. Ifill, are leaning. They are leaning left and they are leaning toward Mr. Obama. In fact, they are leaning over so far, they have fallen over just as their journalistic principles have been falling.
This is just one more illustration of the dishonest, fraudulent and biased mainstream media at work. That journalistic malfeasance is so gross it is beyond belief and so pervasive it has never been fully documented. But the journalistic malfeasance of the mainstream media is doing incalculable damage to the processes of our democracy and it may do even more damage by assuring the election of an unqualified, unvetted political amateur, with dangerous ideas and associations, who will almost certainly visit nothing but disaster on the greatest country in the history of the world.
Herb Denenberg is a former Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commissioner, and professor at the Wharton School. He is a longtime Philadelphia journalist and consumer advocate. He is also a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of the Sciences. His column appears daily in The Bulletin. You can reach him at advocate@thebulletin.us
Right on!
Denenberg ping
Having Ifill moderate the debate would be like Alan Dershowitz serving as a juror in OJ Simpson’s murder trial. Journalism is truly dead in Amerca. Although, at Columbia this is probably being spun as a good thing. Kind of like jury nullification, they could call it “journalisitc nullification”. Truly sickening.
Agreed, and like Denenberg pointed out that other journalists were willing to let it slide including Brit Hume. I consider Hume the finest journalist in broadcast TV and was surprised he didn’t rip Ifill.
“Some have even said because the PBS/Ifill conflict of interest has been exposed, Ms. Ifill will lean over backward to be fair to Gov. Sarah Palin. That illustrates the reason why conflicts of interest should be avoided. A moderator should not be leaning backward or forward. A moderator should be in the middle. Unfortunately, the mainstream media, along with PBS and Ms. Ifill, are leaning. They are leaning left and they are leaning toward Mr. Obama. In fact, they are leaning over so far, they have fallen over just as their journalistic principles have been falling.”
Excellent and accurate.
She was well-deservedly skewered about it on SNL! No wonder they’re getting protests now!
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