On Monday afternoon the local Twittersphere delighted in the fact that Rob Ford was ordered removed from his job as Toronto’s mayor for breaking conflict of interest rules. Just a few hours later, a Winnipeg-based debate erupted about a different type of conflict of interest.
It was sparked after Tweets from a number of local journalists celebrating the fact that they were in the midst of IKEA’s invitation-only media shopping night with free “refreshments”, 15% off purchases and, according to some bloggers that went along, a swag-bag of free IKEA products at the end of it all. Some Tweets indicated that there were around 100 attendees.
Can, or should, journalists should be taking freebies and discounted goods from what has been, and will continue to be, the subject of a massive amount of media attention ?
I searched online for codes of conduct for some of these outlets but couldn’t find any. In the CBC Manitoba report on the event last night (that didn’t make their website) Nelly Gonzales noted in her story that their staff did not participate due to their corporation’s policy against accepting free gifts. She later tweeted that “we got escorted out as soon as we asked IKEA questions about the media discounts…”
Do any media outlets in town follow the Canadian Association of Journalism’s Ethics Guidelines ? If they do, they’ll find that:
“We do not accept the free or reduced-rate use of valuable goods or services offered because of our position…. We do not solicit gifts or favours for personal use, and should promptly return unsolicited gifts of more than nominal value. If it is impractical to return the gift, we will give it to an appropriate charity.”
How about media organizations in bigger markets ? From the Reuters Handbook of Journalism:
“The Reuters Code of Conduct reminds journalists that they must not accept any payment, gift, service or benefit (whether in cash or in kind) offered by a news source or contact. A gift of more than nominal value should be declined, using an explanation of our policies. If a gift of some value proves impossible to decline, it should be surrendered to the journalist’s manager for donation to a suitable charity. If you cannot decide whether the gift is of greater than nominal value, assume that it is.”
Perhaps it was much ado about nothing. Maybe this sort of thing is relegated to larger media organizations or those in larger markets where the opening of a furniture store, even an IKEA, wouldn’t be a top news story for a couple of weeks in a row ? Maybe in the age of new media those lines don’t matter as much anymore ? Grab the freebies you can get, (or request cash donations from the people you are reporting on). After all, life is tough in the news biz these days.
Whenever the “are bloggers / citizen journalists really media ?” debate comes up it is often argued that what will always separate the two is that professional journalists must adhere to a professional code of conduct whereas bloggers / citizen journalists don’t, (an argument that I agree with in many cases.)
I can’t wait to watch and read the Bieber-feveresque media stories that will come as a result of tonight’s freebie night.
