Covering your employer

Michael Lev, the assistant managing editor of business at the Chicago Tribune, writes about how the business desk covers its paper’s parent company, the Tribune Co.

Lev writes, “First of all, no one outside the newsroom, including any executive on any other floor of Tribune Tower, ever has access to our stories before publication, or dictates coverage in any way. We decide what we should write, and when, without any interference from company management.

“For those who cover Tribune and edit those stories, recognizing and dealing with potential conflicts is a daily exercise. In some cases, it means that reporters do not attend ‘town hall’ staff meetings. That way, they avoid hearing internal Tribune Co. information meant only for employees.  In other cases, it means making the appropriate editing accommodations. For example, if we quote Tribune Editor Gerould Kern, he would not see that story before publication.

“One important practice is to disclose our relationships. In the business section, any time we write about Tribune Co. or one of its businesses, such as WGN radio or television, we note that the Chicago Tribune is also owned by Tribune Co.

“Often, the bigger challenge is to separate what’s of burning interest to us as Tribune employees from what is interesting and relevant to readers. The latest turn of the screw about our 401(k) plan may be a subject of fascination within the Tower, but who else truly cares?”

Read more here.