NY Times Again Sends Memo Reminding Reporters Not to Editorialize on Social Media
For the second time in three months, The New York Times sent a memo to reporters reminding them not to editorialize about sensitive political issues.
Back in June, Times higher-ups sent a memo to reporters warning against editorializing in the wake of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting. “People following Times newsroom staffers online expect them to be well-informed and thoughtful,” wrote associate managing editor Philip Corbett. “But we should leave the opinions to our colleagues on the Opinion side.”
On Wednesday, Corbett sent a second memo. “As we enter the home stretch of the presidential campaign, all of us in the newsroom should keep in mind our longstanding policies on social media. On personal social-media accounts, Times newsroom staffers should avoid editorializing, endorsing candidates or otherwise promoting their own political views,” he wrote.
“This applies to every newsroom journalist in every department. Even if you personally are not involved in coverage of politics, our colleagues are working hard to maintain The Times’s reputation for credibility and fairness, and we should not do anything to make their jobs tougher.”
New York Times public editor Liz Spayd reports that Corbett told her the memo was not sparked by any particular tweet. “I find it hard to imagine that violators are unaware the policy exists. Maybe repeat offenders need a little kick in the pants,” she suggested.
The memo comes a month after Times columnist Jim Rutenberg suggested that journalists should abandon traditional standards of neutrality in the face of Donald Trump‘s candidacy. Mediaite’s Rachel Stockman also pointed out that some supposedly objective Times reporters, such as Michael Barbaro, often pen negative or condescending tweets about Trump.
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