Can Greenspan's wife be objective in covering the economy?

Brian Stelter of the New York Times writes for Monday’s paper about the ethical issues surrounding NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, who is married to former Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan and has recently been reporting about the economy.

Stelter notes that the Columbia Journalism Review has raised questions about whether Mitchell can be objective in covering the economy when her husband’s policies have been blamed.

Stelter writes, “Steve Capus, the president of NBC News, called the article ‘overly simplistic.’ The news division has allowed Ms. Mitchell to continue covering the presidential election, even when the candidates have debated the financial crisis, and has decided on a day-by-day basis what stories are not appropriate for her to cover.

“‘To me it’s a pretty easy balancing act,’ Mr. Capus said in an interview Sunday. ‘She knows where to draw the line.’

“That line, NBC has decided, exists when past economic decisions are being re-examined. The fiscal policies championed by Mr. Greenspan, who retired in January 2006, have come under scrutiny in recent weeks.”

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