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From my previous experience in the news industry, it would be almost offensive to receive an email like this if one were an editor of a news publication. Integ

From my previous experience in the news industry, it would be almost offensive to receive an email like this if one were an editor of a news publication. Integrity as a journalist necessitates that one cannot accept payment from a person mentioned in a news article, and cannot agree to the attempt to compromise on journalistic independence. The cost to one's reputation as a journalist far outweighs the payment offered by the cold emailer from a reputation firm. For any commenters without experience in the news industry, this request is disrespectful to the recipient as it assumes that the owner of the news site can be bought for or influenced with pay.

wolverine876 5y ago
With due respect to the GP, it's not like the reputation management firm tried to buy off the NY Times. At less ethical levels of the news industry, being bought off by advertisers or powerful people seems not uncommon. Fox coordinated with Trump. I am a big believer in the power and value of journalism, but in your experience, how far down do the ethics go?
- openknot 5y ago
  My view might not be representative of every person in the journalism industry, but I believe that each journalist should hold themselves to a strong personal code of ethics; principles aside, there are reasons of self-interest too. Journalism work is low-paying and scarce today, relative to how it has been in the past. If a a person just wants to make money, they could move into marketing (especially copywriting), public relations, market research, or change fields entirely. So, a person who chooses to be a journalist is likely doing so for non-financial reasons. These might be a want to serve their community; a wish to become famous for good work; or just because they like the day-to-day work. Accepting payment for article influence runs counter to a journalist's motivations for staying in the low-paying line of work (they aren't serving the community; it's bad for personal reputation; and it makes it harder to keep doing journalism work, if the word gets out). It makes sense for ethics to go far down, out of pragmatism more than idealism (though I also recognize that a person having a bad day/week might impulsively compromise on their integrity, or may not have thought about the consequences in advance).

wolverine876 5y ago

With due respect to the GP, it's not like the reputation management firm tried to buy off the NY Times. At less ethical levels of the news industry, being bought off by advertisers or powerful people seems not uncommon. Fox coordinated with Trump. I am a big believer in the power and value of journalism, but in your experience, how far down do the ethics go?

openknot 5y ago
My view might not be representative of every person in the journalism industry, but I believe that each journalist should hold themselves to a strong personal code of ethics; principles aside, there are reasons of self-interest too. Journalism work is low-paying and scarce today, relative to how it has been in the past. If a a person just wants to make money, they could move into marketing (especially copywriting), public relations, market research, or change fields entirely. So, a person who chooses to be a journalist is likely doing so for non-financial reasons. These might be a want to serve their community; a wish to become famous for good work; or just because they like the day-to-day work. Accepting payment for article influence runs counter to a journalist's motivations for staying in the low-paying line of work (they aren't serving the community; it's bad for personal reputation; and it makes it harder to keep doing journalism work, if the word gets out). It makes sense for ethics to go far down, out of pragmatism more than idealism (though I also recognize that a person having a bad day/week might impulsively compromise on their integrity, or may not have thought about the consequences in advance).