An executive of The Post-Crescent newspaper wrote an open letter to readers Saturday, apologizing for 25 Gannett Wisconsin Media journalists, including nine in Appleton, who signed recall petitions for Gov. Scott Walker.
Genia Lovett, The Post-Crescent’s president and publisher, said in the column that she took little consolation from the fact that none of the involved workers covers politics or directs political news coverage.
“The fact that any of our 223 Wisconsin news employees signed the petition is disheartening,” she wrote. “It has caused us to examine deeply how this happened, how we will address it and how we will prevent future breaches.”
Lovett said that the newspaper is in the process of addressing discipline and that it revealed the signatures to readers in the interest of being as open as possible.
Walker is being targeted for recall over his efforts last year to effectively end collective bargaining for most public workers. Last week, the Gannett Wisconsin Media investigative team wrote a story that exposed 29 circuit court judges had signed Walker recall petitions.
Lovett acknowledged that as citizens, reporters have a right to hold opinions about political issues and to share those opinions with colleagues, friends or family. But she said journalists have an added responsibility to protect their news organization’s credibility and impartiality.
“They must go to extra lengths to guard against even the impression of favoring a candidate or a position,” the column said. The recall petitions are public documents that can be viewed online.
Comments
its_just_math 2 years ago
"The name Walter Mitty and the derivative word "Mittyesque"[5] have entered the English language, denoting an ineffectual person who spends more time in heroic daydreams than paying attention to the real world, or more seriously, one who intentionally attempts to mislead or convince others that he is something that he is not."
Mike Ford 2 years ago
governor walker and his cronies are exploitative crooks. what do theftlicans always want to do away with? laws and regulations protecting the environment. the Potawatomi and Chippewa people in Wisconsin have fought for two decades to prevent mining near the Wolf River involving the use of cyanide. I have been to the Bad River and Sokaogan Chippewa reservations, the Menominee and Stockbridge reservations and the Oneida reservation in Wisconsin. With a history of strong tribes and progressives like Robert Lafollette, one has to wonder how this state went to the dimwits. With all of the tribes there the undercurrent of racism has always been just below the surface. People have a right to stand up against the McCarthyistic nonsense being pushed by clowns in patriot suits, charlatan ministers, and women who think they're politicians while the rest of the women laugh at them. Kudos to these employees.
pace 2 years ago
Nothing frightens cowards as much as someone standing and actually using their rights.
weiser 2 years ago
I grew up near madison, it is the same as Lawrence; about 30 square miles of liberals, surrounded by reality!
Richard Heckler 2 years ago
Governor Walker must hit the road ASAP. So should Gov Brownback.
The fact that the newspaper has a policy that won't allow employees the right to exercise their voting rights and practice democracy says the newspaper should be hauled into court.
its_just_math 2 years ago
" Last week, the Gannett Wisconsin Media investigative team wrote a story that exposed 29 circuit court judges had signed Walker recall petitions."
Them too. Who ever said courts were not tilted heavy left.
“They must go to extra lengths to guard against even the impression of favoring a candidate or a position,” ----------sorry Genia, you apparently don't watch MSNBC or CNN or CBS or NBC or read the NYT. You're fighting a losing battle, even though I applaud you for doing what you can to stop corrupt liberal agenda-driven journalists in their tracks. I hope the only fair and balanced network, Fox News, invites you on to tell us more.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 2 years ago
The employees didn't sign the petition as a means of making a public statement. They signed the petition in order to exercise their rights as registered Wisconsin voters. And clearly, it's the executive who has turned this into a political statement.
its_just_math 2 years ago
Walker saved Wisconsins spiraling economy. Yeah, Wisconsin left-wing zealots, recall Walker!
And to my esteemed forum left-wing extremists, more pooof this is no liberal bias in journalism. rolling eyes
Gandalf 2 years ago
What a crock of BS! Give some employers an inch and they want a mile. I'm afraid the fact that the publisher may be a little embarrassed does not outweigh the employee's constitutional rights.
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