Howard Kurtz non-disclosure flap…
The Washington Post’s Ombudsman Andrew Alexander addresses a Howard Kurtz online chat and how that ruffled the feathers of one Eric Alterman…
Eric Alterman, a well-known New York-based journalism professor, columnist and author, was struck by what Kurtz didn’t say and e-mailed me with a complaint.
“Howard Kurtz, who draws a regular paycheck from CNN, but is described in this chat exclusively as a ‘Washington Post staff writer and columnist,’ offers the lamest possible defense of CNN,” he wrote. “(B)ut nowhere in the chat does he bother to inform readers that he is in the pay of the network whose dereliction of duty he sees fit to defend.”
“This is not ‘the appearance of a conflict of interest,’” he continued. “This is an actual conflict of interest.”
He is correct that Kurtz should have disclosed his CNN connection. When I queried Kurtz, he readily agreed.
“When I took a couple of questions about CNN’s Iran coverage in this week’s chat, I didn’t mention it in my haste to answer the questions,” he said. “That was an oversight and won’t be repeated.”
What Alexander didn’t say (and probably should have): Anyone who has followed Alterman over the years, as I did for a while when he was blogging for MSNBC.com before he got too shrill for me, knows Kurtz holds a special place in Alterman’s ire. I think he and Mickey Kaus share the honor of being Kurtz’s biggest detractors; both have frequently complained in the past about Kurtz’s dual roles at CNN and The Post, occasionally referring to him as Howie “conflict of interest” Kurtz.
June 18, 2009 at 5:50 am
Whatever. It’s an inadvertent oversight by a guy who figured anybody bothering to read an interview of him already knows about Reliable Sources.
June 18, 2009 at 6:11 am
It’s an inadvertent oversight by a guy who figured anybody bothering to read an interview of him already knows about Reliable Sources.
My view (almost) exactly.
If you’re reading Kurtz or watching his show you must know that he’s receiving two paychecks.
The question, of course, isn’t really disclosure; it’s whether he can be a straightforward critic of CNN when he writes for the Post and vice-versa.
It’s not an appearance of a conflict of interest; it’s a real conflict of interest.
Of course, unless we bring back and strengthen the old media councils, I’m not sure how to get around this matter.