Journalists and public information officers naturally butt heads in the name of protecting different interests. However, decency and respect during any interaction between the two is of utmost importance.
SPJ-Rio Grande 100 percent supports the rights of all journalists to ask questions of public, taxpayer funded agencies. Additionally, we support any member of the public who seeks to hold government accountable.
We are the ones funding their operations, the primary function of which is to serve the community. In the specific case of law enforcement agencies, their primary job is to not only serve, but protect.
It is a situation I blundered into by chance. I landed my first job as a reporter at the Deming Headlight after several years as a columnist for the same paper. They let me continue writing the column, which later migrated (with me) to the Las Cruces Sun-News; but my editors and I managed my dual role with care.
While not all “pink slime” operations are as expansive as the one uncovered by the Times, many are still being created to fill the void that local newspapers leave when they close their doors.
Here are five ways to sus out whether your news source is real local news or “pink slime” propaganda.
Each member of our panel will share one thing they want the audience to know about how they work, but no presentations; the majority of this event will be questions from the audience. Come with curiosity, and leave knowing more about how journalism in New Mexico gets done.
As journalists, maintaining our integrity is instrumental if we are to serve the public by being watchdogs over government agencies. This is especially critical if there is controversy over transparency at a public body, such as there has been around the Interstate Stream Commission as it prepares to announce its Read more…