Tuesday, June 27, 2006

by Robert DiGiacomo
PlanetOut Network
Published: 6/23/06

Excerpt:

Allentown Morning Call feature writer Frank Whelan doesn't understand the fuss over his role as co-grand marshal, with his partner, Bob Wittman, of [June 17's] Gay Pride parade in their mid-size northeastern Pennsylvania city.

Whelan, as well as parade organizers, view his participation as a tribute to the couple's relationship of 25 years. But his boss, editor Ardith Hilliard, has raised questions over whether Whelan's role constituted an endorsement of marriage rights and therefore breached the paper's ethics policies, meant to ensure impartiality.

Whelan, 56, was suspended without pay for two days from the paper, where he writes the "Ask Frank" history column and a society column, Editor & Publisher reported. Alleging a possible violation of his civil rights, he planned to meet with an attorney on [June 23].

The newspaper, through its Merge weekly publication and mergedigital.com, was a sponsor of the Pride event. Newspaper officials declined specific comment, telling the Express-Times newspaper it was a personnel matter. But Vicki C. Mayk, the paper's director of community relations and communications, praised Whelan as a "valued" employee. She issued a statement from Hilliard, which the paper itself quoted in its coverage of the Pride parade -- also noting that Whelan and his partner rode in the lead parade car with their city's mayor:

"A newspaper's responsibility is trust as much as it is news and information. To ensure the credibility and independence of The Morning Call, it is paramount that our journalists guard against conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflict," Hilliard's statement said.

"Accordingly, The Morning Call, like most newspapers, has a code of ethics for its journalists to protect our credibility and impartiality."

Discussions over the role of journalists in public community events arise frequently in newsrooms, with policies varying widely, said Kelly McBride, a faculty member and ethics group leader at The Poynter Institute, a St. Petersburg, Fla., school for journalists and journalism students and teachers.

"Most newspapers don't have a standard policy on this kind of stuff -- they have a very vague policy," McBride told the PlanetOut Network. "Their policy usually says something like, don't join public protests or take a political stance on an issue.

"Marching in a Gay Pride parade would be considered a political stance to some because of all the issues surrounding the fight over equal rights for gay people. For others, it would be considered like marching in the St. Patty's Day Parade if you were Irish," McBride said.

"That's what gets confusing about it."
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