TRIBULATIONS OF THE TEXAS TRIB, PART III: Introducing Your Integrity Cop

Not always self-appointed

I suppose I qualify as one of the dreaded "self-appointed integrity cops" that the Texas Tribune's Evan Smith derides in the Nieman Lab Series' year-end "Predictions for Journalism 2014." 

  

Yes, there's nothing more obnoxious. But, in my defense, I wasn't always self-appointed.  Once, I'd be assigned to the task by the editors of several trade publications covering the media industry. I hadn't really expected to get caught up in this again here, but seem to get drawn back to my old beat time and again.

Now, I had intended to simply follow up my previous prefatory postings here with my take on James Moore's pointed criticism of Smith and the Texas Trib. Unfortunately, I'm a compulsive researcher.  I started digging. I've started looking at other, similar organizations to understand the Trib in context. What are the norms and standards in the industry today? I've also reached out to get other perspectives and wanted to give the Trib a chance to participate. I sent a few questions for Ross Ramsey, the Trib's Executive Editor and Co-Founder, about the new ethics policy posted at the start of the year. He referred me to Emily Ramshaw who heads the Trib's editorial operations. She's spearheaded the task of crafting the ethics policy and has agreed to meet to talk about it. We will set a time to meet after the primary on Tuesday. ***see FULL DISCLOSURE below.

  

In other words, I've got my work cut out for me. I hope to be back with a full report before long. 

Chat about it on FB

In the meantime, let me say a few things about James Moore's expose of the Trib.  First, it is massive. The four-part investigation comes to some 10,000 words! It is extensively researched and gives numerous examples of conflicts of interest that are troubling. Moore seems to have hit a nerve with it. His criticism has been widely read. I've chatted about it on background with several people in the news business while reaching out for on-the-record comments. At the very least, this raises fundamental issues about the Trib's business model - and practices.

All else being equal, I would expect the Trib to respond to it directly. Unfortunately, Moore's strident tone gives cause for not doing so. That leaves a vacuum. My goal is to fill that by providing an opportunity for the Trib to address the concerns raised. 

While I am an unknown to the Texas Tribune and most of the media community here, I believe I am well-suited to give a fair hearing to a newfangled online public media news organization. Allow me to introduce myself. I have both a long experience reporting on the business of New Media as well as a hands-on experience in public media.

"Checking in from the CyberScene with today's website..."

After returning to radio as a reporter/news announcer in New England in the mid-90's,  I created "CyberScene: The Socially Significant Cyberspace." The Dot Com era had just dawned and I saw an opportunity. Cyberscene was a daily short-form (2 minute) feature for public radio highlighting an interesting website. I started writing about New Media for broadcast and audio trade publications to help publicize the program and to establish my credibility. 

This was an incredibly creative time in industry, and I got to talk with some of the most innovative minds about the evolution of communication amidst this revolution in media. Cyberscene folded after about two years, but I kept writing about New Media till the bubble burst in 2001. Sadly, much of my work was published before the publications even had websites. You can't find much of it online. Still, here's a few late samples, like this interview with Vinton Cerf in Radio World, or looking ahead to the way streaming media would alter the broadcast landscape for Broadcasting & Cable in 2001. 

Getting the cover is a thrill!

Putting New Media in a broader cultural context was one signature of my writing. I am not trained as a journalist. My undergraduate obsession was ancient moral philosophy. Plato's project was, in part, piecing together how the Athenian democracy destroyed itself - how sophists and political opportunists brought the great city-state to ruin. How to develop new communication tools to see through deception and manipulation for effective governance? This these issues remain vital as we see our governance turn to gridlock with our contemporary culture of spin and sophistry. 

Another less esoteric thing that distinguished my work was my skepticism for the Dot Com bubble. I simply didn't buy into the buzz. I was the guy asking tough questions like "how do you plan to monetize that?" "How is your business plan sustainable?" "What happens when you burn through your VC money?"

Banging out stories through the Dot Com era

Despite my caution, I wasn't spared when the bubble burst. I had to rebuild my freelance business as New Media advertisers vanished and page counts dropped.

What have I been doing since?  This may be what fully qualifies me here - I joined the dark Side of the Force and started a successful public relations practice! So I know a few things about how lax journalistic ethics opens PR opportunities.

Here's the reality. Even "legit" journalists under-the-gun can and will make compromises over time to survive in our PR-driven culture. I remember one of my greatest PR triumphs was when a staff reporter at the New York Times took a piece I wrote and published it almost whole. In fact, all the reporter did was freshen up the quotes - and give it a MORE positive spin (my trademark is striking a gritty, realistic tone that doesn't look like the usual PR puff pieces). Yes, my client was ecstatic. What a coup! After, I've had more than a moment of despair. I wonder if the folks working Judith Miller felt the same way.

BONUS CLIP: Check this feature about KTRS-FM, the NPR affiliate in Marfa.  

***FULL DISCLOSURE***

Now, since I'm taking on the task of reporting on journalistic ethics, it is appropriate that I give a COMPREHENSIVE disclaimer. I have no formal relationship with the Trib beyond what I disclosed before - I have donated money and been an active participant both at the Tribfest and various public forums they have hosted. In other words, I'm one of those folks asking questions. Also, at the Tribfest last Fall, I got into a discussion with April Hinkle, Chief Revenue Officer. I asked her about pitching some audience engagement/UGC concepts I'd developed for public media elsewhere. I got no response from my email follow-up. Likewise, I passed along some research I turned up to Ross Ramsey - no interest. I have had conversations with Ramshaw about Greg Abbott's use of the title "General Abbott" and also to alert her (along with other reporters) about some things I've turned up in my research here.  Oh, I also wanted to be sure that The Inanity of Sanity is on the list of political blogs when they start covering that scene sometime this Spring as part of an initiative to add more commentary. 

The upshot?  I have no business with the Trib. I am not angling for anything with or for them beyond that typical of other bloggers on the scene.

What?  Is this just some kind of public service I'm offering here?  Well, I have done such things in the past.

In 2007, I went to great lengths to expose the unethical conduct of the Media Bloggers Association, something of a precursor to the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity. The Franklin Center is the Koch-funded outfit that I caught red-handed for their lack of journalistic integrity in January. They "reported" on a complaint filed at the Texas Ethics Commission against Wendy Davis by one of their own. 

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Tips? Suggestions? Ideas? Drop a line to carl (at) inanityofsanity (dot) com