By Tracy Dingmann
My colleague Denise Tessier writes about the new partnership between the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and the Albuquerque Journal today and calls it “a little cozy.”
I’ll say. The chamber bought two full pages in the Journal‘s A1 section and filled them full of glowing copy about events and awards and messages along with outright ads from chamber heavy hitters like PNM and Gap Inc.
Essentially, it’s the Chamber newsletter, but printed on Journal paper. Do any other readers find that a bit confusing? Any other journalists? A similar arrangement between the Los Angeles Times and the Staples Center caused a giant stink 10 years ago and led to the resignation of the paper’s publisher. I wrote about the section last week before I saw it, and I stand by my opinion that such a venture sends mixed messages to readers.
The Chamber pages also include tributes to outstanding chamber volunteers. Featured is Journal Editor Kent Walz, who is cited for his “continued dedication to fair, objective reporting of the news and for understanding the importance of a vital New Mexico economy.”
The section also lists events, including a mayoral forum on Aug. 20 that is sponsored by the Chamber. The section in the Journal doesn’t mention it, but material elsewhere from the Chamber says Walz will moderate the forum.
It is obvious that the Chamber has invested a great deal of money and trust in this new partnership with the Journal. It is also obvious that the Chamber considers Walz a cherished member and an ally, and has asked him to personally partner with the chamber on at least one highly-newsworthy venture.
It makes me wonder about the rules all of the rest of us followed as reporters and editors at the Journal. In order to preserve our objectivity and so as not to create an appearance of a conflict of interest, we weren’t allowed to have political bumper stickers on our cars or yard signs on our lawns. Signing petitions was frowned upon, as was expressing any kind of political opinion on or off the job. We literally had to ask Walz’s permission to join any group – political, philanthropic, you name it – that could in any way be conceived to ever come up in our coverage.
Like my Journal Watch colleague Denise, I understand that the editor of the paper is a public figure who needs to maintain certain relationships in the community.
But this one makes me queasy. The chamber and the Journal are two very powerful entities in the community, and I hope the readers aren’t going to suffer because they’re doubling up so publically.
What if a story comes up that would make one of these chamber businesses look bad? Would the Journal write that story?
Tell me what you think.
In times now long gone the publisher of the newspaper would be its public face and active member of the business community. Journal publisher T.H. Lang has chosen the opposite course making him for most of his tenure invisible to the readership and greater community. So by default that leaves editor Kent Walz to balance the canons of journalism against playing footsie with the chamber of commerce. When the previous incarnation of the New Mexico Independent and its late editor Mark Acuff cut a somewhat similar deal with the state’s largest utility, the newspaper’s perceived independence suffered grievous harm from which it never recovered.
Who says the chamber is powerful. I have never seen it be powerful and would say they are like any other special interest group. They may influence some politicians, but not all. The newspaper is a powerful entity with a power to sway public opinion easily.
In this deal, the chamber is getting all of the benefits while the Journal loses some credibility. One wonders what really is going on here.
Submit At Your Own Risk // Jan 7, 2010 at 9:05 am
[...] In it, Jordan argued against the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce’s position that reviving the food tax would be a good way for state government to make up for a projected shortfall for FY2011. We’ve written about the Journal’s cozy relationship with the Chamber before. [...]