Community Journalism 101: What is a conflict of interest?

July 19, 2:34 PMCommunity Journalism ExaminerJonathan Donley

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For a journalist, a conflict of interest occurs when he has a connection to the story subject or issue that might influence how he writes the story, or might cause people to distrust the writer or the news organization.

Professional journalists and media organizations have firm rules about conflicts of interest for both reasons.  This is extremely important, because journalists can only operate if people trust what they write.

A clear case of conflict of interest comes when money is involved.  For example, if a reporter is heavily invested in a particular company’s stock, it might change how she writes about the company.   Even if it doesn’t affect the story, if readers discovered the reporter’s stock ownership, it could raise doubts about anything she wrote in that area.

But a conflict of interest doesn’t have to be financial. It might involve a personal relationship, an activity or a belief. Many news organizations bar their journalists from any type of political activity, even to the extent of forbidding bumper stickers on vehicles used on company business or political donations.  Some reporters have gone to extremes, including refusing to vote, to avoid a conflict of interest.

In real life, though, especially at the community level, it is almost impossible to avoid all conflicts of interest.   A small-town reporter, for example, may well cover a city council meeting at which local property taxes are being discussed – taxes that may directly affect the reporter.  The journalist’s job, in that case, is to set aside his own interest and report the issue dispassionately.

A growing trend over the past decade is for journalists to include with their stories a disclosure of relationships or interests that might be relevant.

Citizen journalists should take care to avoid conflicts of interest, or to disclose them, for the same reason as professional journalists – to avoid bias in reporting or to protect their credibility with their readers.