News Director who quit over paid news plan honored

[Paper Trail]

By CHRIS HUBBUCH / La Crosse Tribune (http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2008/08/05/news/z09newsman.txt)

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — A former Eau Claire TV news director who resigned earlier this year over his station’s plans to broadcast paid news has been honored by a professional association.

The Society of Professional Journalists announced Monday that Glen Mabie is the recipient of its annual Ethics in Journalism award.

Mabie quit his post at WEAU-TV in January after Sacred Heart Hospital negotiated a deal to sponsor two health segments a week as part of the regular newscast. Reporters were supposed to interview only Sacred Heart employees for the stories.

The station later scrapped the plan.

Mabie credits the newsroom with standing up against the plan.

“The staff should share this as much as anyone,” he said. “They were absolutely fantastic in the way they fought this.”

Mabie, who dropped out of college in 1984 for a full-time photographer’s position with channel 13, said he has no regrets about his decision to leave.

“I thought there would be a lot more angst over my decision than there ended up being,” he said. “I knew that I couldn’t walk into that newsroom and tell the staff that we were going to do this deal.”

This fall, the 48-year-old Mabie is heading back to college to finish his journalism degree. He still needs a few upper-level courses, including Ethics in Journalism.

“I’m really hoping I can pull at least a C in that class,” he said.

Chris Hubbuch can be reached at (608) 791-8217 or chubbuch@lacrossetribune.com.

[Paper Trail]

SPJ honors Glen Mabie with Ethics in Journalism Award (http://www.spj.org/news.asp?REF=818#818)

INDIANAPOLIS – The Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to honor Glen Mabie with its annual Ethics in Journalism Award.

Mabie has reflected SPJ’s passion for ethical journalism in many ways throughout his career, but his brightest reflection occurred the week of Jan. 7, 2008, when Mabie resigned from his position as news director at WEAU-TV in Eau Claire, Wis.

His resignation was prefaced by a personal ethical dilemma concerning paid news coverage. The general manager at WEAU-TV and the top marketing and communications person at the area’s Sacred Heart hospital negotiated an agreement under which the hospital would pay an undisclosed amount to the station to do two “health news” segments a week. These segments were to be broadcast as part of the station’s regular newscasts, and the reporters were only to interview Sacred Heart employees as part of the “news coverage.” Mabie protested this agreement but could not get management to cancel the deal. Mabie submitted his resignation a week later and made no public announcement of his departure. In the end, the station’s management decided to end its deal with Sacred Heart.

“I believe that Mabie’s willingness to draw a line in the sand and to stand up for his ethical principles regardless of the personal cost is a perfect fit for the criteria set out for the SPJ Ethics in Journalism Award,” University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire professor David Gordon wrote in his nomination letter. “He has set an example for broadcast journalists in this area and, by honoring him with this award, SPJ can make journalists throughout the country more aware of the stand he took at a considerable personal cost.”

Mabie said that winning this award is not only an honor, but also “a reminder of the strong code of ethics to which journalists adhere. It was evident in the actions of the news staff of WEAU, who really share in this award, and the reactions of reporters, editors and producers in newsrooms around the nation.”

The Ethics in Journalism Award honors reporters, editors or news organizations that distinguish themselves for performing in an outstanding ethical manner as defined by the SPJ Code of Ethics.

Mabie will be recognized Saturday, Sept. 6 during a banquet at the 2008 SPJ Convention & National Journalism Conference in Atlanta. To learn more about the event, visit www.spj.org/convention.asp.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press.

[The Mockingbird]

This thread brought to you from the Lido Pizza Glass-Enclosed Nerve Center.

http://www.extrememortman.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/WTOP%20glass%20nerve%20center.jpg

[The Fedora]

Mock...

It is Ledo's Pizza.

Mmmmmm. Love that place.

[Mr. Pratfall]

Why doesn't Paper Trail also post articles about News Directors who like paid news stories??? He's obligated, isn't he?

[Sultanosurf]

Why doesn't Paper Trail also post articles about News Directors who like paid news stories??? He's obligated, isn't he?

Shouldn't there be a cup of McDonald's on the counter at Ledo's?...

[Clever Login Name]

Lido Shuffle?

[Diplomat]

Why doesn't Paper Trail also post articles about News Directors who like paid news stories??? He's obligated, isn't he?

He has been busted.

Posters are obligated to stop praising him for "only posting objective articles," etc., though.

[Mr. Pratfall]

Posters are obligated to stop praising him for "only posting objective articles," etc., though.

Good thing I never did that. Never saw anyone else do that, now that I think about it.

[The Mockingbird]

Mock...

It is Ledo's Pizza.

Mmmmmm. Love that place.

This correction brought to you by the Five Guys Burgers & Fries Spell Check Center:

http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper247/stills/u7lb21o1.jpg

[Spike]

We have Five Guys in my town now. There is now Officially Nothing that could entice me to move back to DC ever.

[The Mockingbird]

I dunno, I like Northern VA quite a bit.

[Buck T. Trend]

I used to work with Glen, and I can honestly say I've never seen anyone better at producing election night coverage.

As far as the ethics award, I say good for him! I wish more people in the newsroom would stand up for what's right... if they did, maybe we could reverse the downhill slide of so-called "broadcast journalism" in this country.

[onemansporto]

What station is he at now?

[s'news]

From the original story.

Mabie, who dropped out of college in 1984 for a full-time photographer’s position with channel 13, said he has no regrets about his decision to leave.

...

This fall, the 48-year-old Mabie is heading back to college to finish his journalism degree. He still needs a few upper-level courses, including Ethics in Journalism.

“I’m really hoping I can pull at least a C in that class,” he said.