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In a follow-up to the recent story here about the Tennessee Bill to Require Free Speech on Campus an NPR reporter has been fired in response to an unflattering story due to pressure by legislators on the University of Tennessee.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga fired a reporter this week at WUTC, the National Public Radio affiliate, after local lawmakers complained about how she reported on a state transgender bathroom bill.
Jacqui Helbert, 32, reported and produced the story for WUTC, which followed a group of Cleveland High School students as they traveled to the state capital March 7 to meet with Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, and Rep. Kevin Brooks, R-Cleveland, about the legislation.
The story aired on WUTC March 9 and 13, and was posted on the station's website. After it was posted, the lawmakers said Helbert failed to properly identify herself as a reporter during the meetings.
Helbert maintains she acted within journalistic ethics as she reported the story, and she never concealed her intentions or bulky radio equipment. She did not verbally identify herself as a journalist.
"It was glaringly obvious who I was," Helbert said, adding that her NPR press pass hung around her neck while at the capitol.
Helbert said she was wearing headphones and pointing a 22-inch large fuzzy microphone at the lawmakers as they spoke during the meeting.
Archive of the censored story is here.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 29 2017, @01:56AM (3 children)
NPR's own guide on journalistic ethics [npr.org]
Journalism should be done in plain sight, and our standards are clear. When we are working, we identify ourselves as NPR journalists to those we interview and interact with. ... Do we need to announce ourselves every time we’re in a line at the supermarket and overhear what people are saying about the news of the day? Of course not. But if we want to quote what one of those people said, we need to introduce ourselves as NPR journalists and assume our “working journalist” role.
In this case the journalist's own photos suggest that the group arrived in a yellow school bus and that the meeting, at least with the representative Bell, was held in a very casual setting. There were two students and one older individual seated at the table with the representative. There is no reason to think one of those people would be a media reporter and "they should know because of my badge" is not how identifying yourself works. Even more absurd is suggesting recording equipment and a mic means anything - things any journalism club would have access to. Agree or disagree with them, they broke NPR's standards and during a meeting with high school kids. Imagine if they were assigned to major stories.
I also think the, "Senator Bell appears to have been referring to a story in Breitbart News.", line was very inappropriate. That, without substantiation, is just wild speculation intended to try to create in the mind of the reader a link between the representative and Breitbart for which there seems to be no justification. The story he was referencing was reported by numerous news organizations and Brietbart was not the source of the original source who revealed the alleged move and reasons.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 29 2017, @01:59AM
To be clear, it's obvious that the reporter is the one holding the camera. What I mean is that in that environment - there's no reason the expect any of the people involved to be an employed media reporter without them directly identifying themselves as such.
(Score: 1) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Wednesday March 29 2017, @02:49AM
The reporter probably searched for recent similar stories, and the one on Breitbart News was the closest match. While it would have been better to get confirmation from the representative; I don't think it is inappropriate to mention it.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday March 29 2017, @02:37PM
No.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"