I just got some great news in my email in-box.The American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) has launched an Ethics Advisory program to offer answers to journalists seeking guidance on ethical practices.
Under the program, journalists can send their "is this ethical" questions to the group and get an answer in fewer than 10 days. (Details are available through a link on the ASBPE homepage.)
The news comes at what is likely the perfect time.
As the economy deteriorates and traditional publishers continue to suffer, I've noted a surge in editors reaching out to me for help with ethical issues.
It seems that I was right when I predicted that 2008 would be a tough year that would lead to an increase in unethical behavior.
For more on my predictions for 2008, search for my name in this Folio article.
tags: journalism, b2b, media, trade press, magazines, newsletters, business media, journalism ethics, advertising
There's ethics in business publishing? I'm a magazine editor. We give special coverage to advertisers. I go with ad salespeople to meet advertisers and discuss editorial support. We long ago lost any semblance of journalistic ethics in this industry.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteIt would certainly appear that you "long ago lost any semblance of journalistic ethics." (It would also appear that you have a problem with the concept of agreement. The phrase you should have used is "There ARE ethics in business publishing?")
But please don't make the mistake of assuming that because you engage in outrageous practices, that anything like the majority of others in the industry do the same.
If you're giving "special coverage" and talking about "editorial support" with advertisers, then you are an aberration and an abomination.
So I beg of you, please, leave the industry (or at least your company.)
No one should have to live the way you do -- filled with shame, selling yourself cheap, and pretending that everyone around you has sunk just as low.
I'm sure you deserve better.
Certainly we as an industry deserve better than to have the likes of you claim to be one of us.
It's a great start, but 10 days? Sorta retrospective.
ReplyDeleteI remember being a college daily editor back in the day, and we had a few former editors on a board. They never met, but they were willing to field calls at 3 a.m., and I love them to this day.
Hi Tig,
ReplyDelete10 days seems like a long time until you compare it with ASME. We're coming up on 18 months now that we've been waiting for them to rule on the biggest ethics scandal in B2B in recent years:
http://paulconley.blogspot.com/2007/11/asme-arrives-late-to-ethics-debate.html
While we hope most ethics advisories can be handled in 10 days, we are very willing to issue guidance much more quickly if necessary. We indicated this in our press release.
ReplyDeleteRobin Sherman
ASBPE Associate Director
www.asbpe.org