New York Times Issues Facebook Gag Order – Ethical Dilemma With Social Networking
What could be perceived as a gag order, the New York Times laid out its knee-jerk ground rules in an effort to neutralize its staffers activity on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. PoynterOnline reported on a policy letter sent in from NY Times assistant managing editor, Craig Whitney.
Whitney writes:
If you have or are getting a Facebook page, leave blank the section that asks about your political views, in accordance with the Ethical Journalism admonition to do nothing that might cast doubt on your or The Times’s political impartiality in reporting the news.
