Republican or Democrat? That is the Question
Journalists argue whether to register with a party or even vote at all
Gregory Jones
Issue date: 11/10/08 Section: Voters
This topic hits home hard for Rosemary Armao, a former reporter and editor. She was fired/forced to resign from a managing editor position in Sarasota, Florida, for revealing her political leanings to a reader. "I emailed with a reader about a story involving Katherine Harris, the Florida Sec of State who certified the 2000 Election for George Bush. A reader who identified himself as a reader said the article was biased and one-sided and obviously was ordered into print by a Republican editor. In attempting to defend the story and explain that it was complete and fair I told him I wasn't voting for Harris and I was the editor who worked on the story. I didn't send out this email exchange in haste or anger and even thought about whether that line went too far. I decided it was ok, because I was a registered Democrat in the state of Florida, where voting records are a matter of public record. In other words, the reader on his own might have found out my political leanings. But the reader spammed the note to columnists all over the country covering Harris's race for Congress. Her boss told her that she had made a beginner mistake and as an editor she had to be let go. It's ironic because the story had a Republican biased and was against Armao's own affiliation.
Today, Armao is a journalism professor at SUNY Albany. She believes that a lot of journalists don't register and in extreme cases they don't vote. However, she doesn't fully buy into it. "I don't think it helps their journalism and it surely doesn't help their citizenship," Armao said. "Not registering, not voting and not talking aloud about your opinions does not mean you don't have these opinions. You are just being sneaky. Isn't it far better to declare your biases and connections so that readers can judge your words against theirs?" While this topic could be argued back and forth, it remains the decision of each individual journalist. "I guess I would say that I would try to buy and fit in with the idea that objectivity in the form of not expressing views was a good idea if there were any proof it served readers or even made them happy," Armao said.
Today, Armao is a journalism professor at SUNY Albany. She believes that a lot of journalists don't register and in extreme cases they don't vote. However, she doesn't fully buy into it. "I don't think it helps their journalism and it surely doesn't help their citizenship," Armao said. "Not registering, not voting and not talking aloud about your opinions does not mean you don't have these opinions. You are just being sneaky. Isn't it far better to declare your biases and connections so that readers can judge your words against theirs?" While this topic could be argued back and forth, it remains the decision of each individual journalist. "I guess I would say that I would try to buy and fit in with the idea that objectivity in the form of not expressing views was a good idea if there were any proof it served readers or even made them happy," Armao said.
Be the first to comment on this story