Conflict of Interest here in Eau Claire

Folks,

Here is an editorial by Tom Giffey about the recent news that WEAU and Sacred Heart Hospital were collaborating about "exclusive" coverage of healthcare issues. This stuff is NOT HEALTHY for our community and we have our own version of it on the ECASD BOE. As the second to the last paragraph indicates, this was furthered by the fact that the WEAU general manager is married to the director of communications at Sacred Heart.

Maria


Business deals shouldn't shape news coverage
The issue: WEAU-TV's news director Glen Mabie resigns over a station plan to give special consideration to Sacred Heart Hospital in its news coverage.

Our view: Mabie did the right thing. Interference by commercial interests in news decisions compromises journalists' integrity.

Like the United States itself, the American media have long recognized the separation of church and state.

In the media's case the phrase is figurative: The "church" is the newsroom, with its mission of objectively reporting the truth free from outside interference; the "state" is the business side of the media, selling ads to bring in the money that keeps the outlet operating.

Traditionally, putting a wall of separation between news and advertising has served the media well. The "church" doesn't tell the "state" who to sell ads to, and the "state" doesn't tell the "church" which stories to cover. Newsrooms maintain their objectivity - and their credibility with the public - by avoiding the appearance they are beholden to advertisers. In turn, media outlets benefit financially because advertising representatives can offer space in reputable publications or broadcasts.

In the political arena, some view church-state separation as misguided, pointing out the phrase doesn't appear in the U.S. Constitution. Likewise, business interests sometimes try to break down the newsroom wall for financial gain. Those who own and manage media outlets may seek the favor - and advertising dollars - of businesses by giving them fawning, unbalanced news coverage. When disclosed, such ethical breaches receive the well-deserved condemnation of journalists.

Sadly, it appears just such a breach was contemplated - if not perpetrated - in Eau Claire. Executives at WEAU-TV (Channel 13) apparently negotiated a deal with Sacred Heart Hospital in which the station "would run medical stories featuring personnel from that hospital and its affiliates but not employees of other Chippewa Valley hospitals or clinics," reporter Julian Emerson wrote in Tuesday's Leader-Telegram.

Such an arrangement would knock a sizable hole in the "church-state" wall and taint the newsroom's objectivity. The situation troubled news director Glen Mabie so much that he quit his job at the NBC affiliate.

"My problem with this is it was going to dictate newsroom content," Mabie said. "I told myself that I could not with a clear conscience go into that newsroom and tell the staff that this was a good thing."

David Gordon, a professor emeritus of journalism at UW-Eau Claire, said he hadn't previously heard of such blatant commercial interference in TV news.

The appearance of undue influence on news judgment "just destroys the credibility of the newsroom," Gordon said in an interview.

"It's a question of who calls the shots, and if you have an agreement that you can't report on other hospitals in the area ... (then health coverage is) not news; that's advertising being passed off as news," he said.

Terry McHugh, the station's vice president and general manager, wouldn't comment on the proposed agreement, while a Sacred Heart Hospital representative said she knew nothing of a deal with WEAU. Their silence leaves many questions unanswered: Would the station be compensated for its exclusive coverage of the hospital? Did the fact that McHugh's wife, Jennifer Block, is Sacred Heart Hospital's communications manager have any bearing on the proposed quid pro quo?

Unless station or hospital officials reveal information that vindicates them, it appears they've been plotting to compromise WEAU's journalistic integrity in a deal that ultimately would have tainted both institutions' public images. Mabie did the honorable thing in resigning to protest this commercial interference. We hope his sacrifice - and the publicity surrounding it - will encourage WEAU and other media outlets locally and nationwide to maintain respect for the wall between the newsroom and the business office.

- Tom Giffey, editorial page editor