Readers may have noticed a disclosure at the bottom of recent editorials.
Journalists are members of the communities they cover, and newspaper publishers have a long tradition of civic involvement, especially in the business community.
Those connections inevitably can lead to conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
Recently, Nina Totenberg, the talented National Public Radio reporter who has covered the U.S. Supreme Court for many years, incurred criticism for not disclosing adequately her longtime friendship with former justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg.
We don’t disclose all connections or involvement, such as the fact I graduated from the University of Oregon (eons ago), I’m a Portland Timbers season ticket holder, or that our journalists pay taxes, have children in public schools and the like.
But sometimes our connections may be salient to the subjects we are writing about. One of our editorial board members, Helen Jung, has a rental property, which we disclose when we editorialize on landlord-tenant issues, for example.
As a lifelong Portlander, and now editor and member of the editorial board, I try to be mindful of any perception of conflict. In my case, I am particularly careful in two areas. My brother, Bernie, is executive director for public affairs at TriMet. For that reason, I don’t weigh in on any story or editorial involving TriMet, and we disclosed my family connection on a recent editorial endorsement involving Metro’s transportation ballot measure, which affects TriMet.
Separately, my sister, Leslie, is a Multnomah County judge. I would not edit or assign any story related to her work. If the editorial board had endorsed in the contested race for a Multnomah County judge position this year, the winner of which would become her colleague on the bench, I would have recused myself from that discussion or decision.
So for anything connected to TriMet, my brother or my sister, I would first see a story when it was published, like any other reader.
Thankfully, my mother is retired.
Other journalists in the newsroom may join their neighborhood association, a church or volunteer efforts (and they would not be able to cover related news). Our journalists are strongly discouraged from taking part in any partisan activities such as donating to candidates or displaying yard signs. I am an unaffiliated voter, by the way.
John Maher, president of Oregonian Media Group, is my boss. He is responsible for company operations and finances and, as is traditional for publishers, is a member of The Oregonian/OregonLive’s editorial board. He does not influence or directly oversee the newsroom, which by tradition is insulated from the company’s advertising and business interests. I am solely responsible for the newsroom and for our reporting.
Like most publishers, Maher joined the Portland Business Alliance after he arrived in Portland, just as he has joined the chamber of commerce board in every city where he’s been publisher.
He will become chairman of the organization’s board about 10 months from now. But he does not vote on or participate in the political endorsements that PBA makes.
“The PBA plays a pivotal role in the economic vitality of our region, just as other chambers do in their communities. The educational, civic engagement and diversity programs led by the Portland Business Alliance have tremendous impact,” Maher said. “I abstain from voting on political endorsements in my volunteer capacity with the PBA board, and Oregonian Media Group does not provide support to the PAC. Many other members do the same. It’s quite common.”
However, because PBA has taken a significant role in opposing the Metro transportation measure, including sending a representative to take part in the editorial board’s endorsement interview, the editorial disclosed Maher’s involvement with the PBA in the interest of transparency. (Neither Maher nor I took part in the meeting with the supporters and opponents.)
But Maher’s PBA involvement raised questions for a few readers in another race. After the editorial board’s Oct. 4 endorsement of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a newly formed group called United for Portland began a campaign against challenger Sarah Iannarone and for Wheeler. Willamette Week first reported on the emergence of the coalition Oct. 7.
Maher has no role in that effort.
The Portland Business Alliance’s longstanding political action committee is one of several key contributors to United for Portland. The alliance’s political action committee is a separate entity from the chamber, and it is directed by the PBA’s Government Relations Executive Committee.
Maher is not a member of that executive committee. No portion of the Oregonian Media Group’s dues goes to the PAC, and Oregonian Media Group does not contribute otherwise to the PAC.
Other supporters of the United for Portland group are business-related political action committees, labor unions and conservationists.
“PBA certainly endorses other measures/candidates that may coincide or conflict with our own decision,” Jung said. “But we usually aren’t even aware of PBA’s positions unless the organization takes a very active role, such as with the Metro measure. We don’t otherwise include the disclosure. That’s why it didn’t come up in the mayor’s endorsement, which was issued before we heard about United for Portland or the PAC’s support for that effort.”
As a measure of how insulated our news reporters are from the publisher’s activities, the reporter covering the mayoral race, Everton Bailey Jr., was not aware of the publisher’s pending role on the PBA board until a reader pointed it out to him (he added mention of it in his article about the United for Portland’s ad campaign).
I think it is important for readers to have these disclosures. Perceived conflicts can be just as corrosive to trust as actual conflicts. Transparency is the best remedy.
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