Who is a journalist at heart of Pelham, paper dispute
A dispute between the Town of Pelham and a local weekly newspaper has ignited a debate about how to define who is considered a journalist.
The town has declined several interview requests from The Voice of Pelham, and Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn says the publication is not an “accredited” news agency but more of an “advertizing and entertainment publication.”
A town news release said the municipality will deal with journalists who are members of the National NewsMedia Council or similar news ethics organizations.
“The Town of Pelham would be happy to work with The Voice when they begin subscribing to the (Canadian Association of Journalists) ethics guidelines or produce a copy of those they follow, and become a member of the NNC,” says the news release.
The Voice, which notified the CAJ of the town’s refusal to talk to it, insists it is a legitimate news outlet and accused the town of “retaliating” for stories the paper published about Pelham’s finances.
Nick Taylor-Vaisey, president of the CAJ, said in a Wednesday interview that the question of defining who qualifies as a journalist is a sticky one.
“It used to be very cut and dry. It was very easy to know who the journalists were ... That is not how it is anymore,” he said, noting the explosion of websites purporting to be news agencies has muddied the waters.
“But we don’t think governments should say who is an accredited journalist. Accredited by who? By what standard?”
The association issued a statement Wednesday after being contacted by The Voice following its stories about being ignored by the municipality.
“Pelham must respect journalists and allow them to do their jobs,” said the CAJ statement.
Augustyn said the town’s core problem with The Voice is that it wouldn’t produce an ethical guideline.
“We’ve asked them what guidelines or standards they use in their reporting and we were told they don’t have any,” Augustyn said, again referring to the National NewsMedia Council, a self-regularity ethics body for the news media in Canada that hears complaints about member organizations.
Most of Canada’s newspapers, including The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail and The Standard are members of the council. The Voice is not.
The Standard also publishes an accuracy pledge, contact information for reporters, how to report errors and information for the council.
Most news agencies also have formal ethical guidelines. The Standard follows those of its parent company TorStar. Others follow CAJ guidelines or publish their own.
Taylor-Vaisey said the council is useful, particularly for smaller publications that cannot afford an in-house ombudsman.
“In our experience, the NewsMedia Council deals with complaints in a very fair manner,” he said.
Voice publisher David Burket declined multiple requests for a telephone interview Wednesday, insisting questions had to be asked by email. The Standard only conducts interviews by email in extraordinary circumstances.
In an email, Burket said he could “think of no more serious danger to a free press” than a government that “believes it is above scrutiny.”
Taylor-Vaisey said politicians are not obligated to answer questions, but should at least hear the questions being asked. Stonewalling journalists serves no useful purpose, he said.