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Two days ago I was in a group of friends and one of them was asking: is it OK for a journalist to accept all kinds of gifts he/she sometimes gets? Does that mean he/she is supposed to write decently about the companies involved?
Somebody said that it’s OK as long as the ethical code in the newsroom doesn’t forbid it. But theoretically, what’s the difference between receiving a brand new car and an MP3 player?
I know a guy who writes about IT and he told me several times how many times he went on press trips to Dubai, Egypt and in almost all European countries. He loves his photo printer he got from a famous company, his brand-new free phone, those several MP3 players (he sold some of them), the tones of USB sticks, mice, wireless keyboards etc.
But now he has a professional disease: he’s always expecting to get something when he goes to every press conference/press trip/media event. Isn’t that a source of stress?
Feeebies are an important section in ethical codes and journalists can lose their jobs over scoring too many of them. The ethical debate even made it into the blogosphere.
O yes, they are an important section in American journalism handbooks. There’s a different situation in RO, I never saw a journalist being fired because of that.
What do you think about this situation: a mobile phone company is offering discount subscription to a large media group. Let’s say that the discount is so generous, that you just can’t refuse it. What do you do now?
Unfortunately, things are not happening by the book.
I think press conference gifts should stick to notebooks and pens…If you want a journalist to test something on his/her own, just give it for a few days…I dunno, I am tired of journalists picking the press conference depinding on the food they serve and the gifts they give…
I remeber a press conference one of my ex employing companies organized for a large IT company where they decided to give the notebooks and pens ahead and the actual gifts (caps and other small details, if I am not mistaking)at the end, to stop journalists from leaving after only a few minutes…WOW, half of those used to this company’s press conferences asked us if that was all…
I agree with you, they have to give us all free laptops only. But I don’t know, some of the PR people just don’t get the idea, they keep offering us folders and pens :-)
I agree with the press conference thing. Some of them are just to meet people. Because, c’mon, reading out loud the press release at the press conference is not very informative. And when they answer with „I don’t have any details about that” to all your questions, why bother coming to the next event?
This is one area where I don’t believe in the country by country standard. My view – and it might come off as extreme – is to not take anything if possible.
The reason is not only because your newsroom’s ethical code forbids it. It’s because of the perception that you can be bought.
If I was a reader of your friend who writes about IT and I knew he got all that stuff, I would stop reading him and stop trusting him.
That’s why I would never take stuff. Because I do my journalism for the public (not my employer) and I wouldn’t want them to perceive me as doing favors to companies or public officials.
„My view – and it might come off as extreme – is to not take anything if possible.”
But you have to choose: go in a sponsored press trip to a major event or not go at all. What do you choose?
„The reason is not only because your newsroom’s ethical code forbids it. It’s because of the perception that you can be bought.”
What if you are not bought, but you keep your points of view and the sposoring company is not mad on you?
„If I was a reader of your friend who writes about IT and I knew he got all that stuff, I would stop reading him and stop trusting him.”
But readers don’t know that and it’s a common procedure for companies to send gadgets to publications, to be tested and covered in the news. Usually, the gadgets stay with journalists after the tests.
„That’s why I would never take stuff. Because I do my journalism for the public (not my employer) and I wouldn’t want them to perceive me as doing favors to companies or public officials.”
That’s right, you do it for your public, so you have to have those products, to better inform them. You can’t just write about gadgets from press releases only and second-hand sources.
One last question: what if your newsroom doesn’t have an ethical code (which is a common situation in RO) or what if you’re not employed of any newsroom, but you’re a freelancer?
So, things are more complex than they seem.