Saturday’s Boston Globe Business pages included this piece by tech writer Hiawatha Bray about “Mobile DTV, a new technology that could turn millions of digital gadgets into portable TV sets.”
Headline:
WGBH steps into mobile TV market
Nut graf:
WGBH is one of less than 100 US television stations that now broadcast Mobile DTV shows. The station began the broadcasts in March, becoming one of the first to use the system. According to a survey from the Consumer Electronics Association, WGBH and its sister station in Springfield, WGBY, are the only DTV broadcasters in Massachusetts.
“Boston’s an academic town, a commuting town,’’ said Joseph Igoe, the station’s chief technology officer. “It seemed like a good place for mobile TV to take hold.’’
All well and good, except for this: Hiawatha Bray is a frequent presence on WGBH, from “Basic Black” to “Greater Boston” to “The Emily Rooney Show,” something the Globe piece fails to disclose.
Maybe none of them were paid appearances, which absolutely demand disclosure. But still . . . should any reporter appear on media outlets he’s supposed to cover? And if he does, should that in turn demand disclosure?
Just asking.
Campaign Outsider 
I agree 100%. Good question.
Good thing you’re on the job, taking care of business. You’re an ex participator in Emily Rooney’s shows, how many times has she had a guest, such as Bray, who wasn’t a paid participant? Is the pay a regular thing, or does it only apply to the panel on “Beat the Press”, incidentally one of my favorite public affairs programs. A disclaimer would have gone a long way toward lending, or making questionable, his credibility. It should be SOP.
Panelists on BTP get paid every week. I don’t know what the deal is with The ER Show on radio. The odds are Hiawatha Bray has rarely if ever been paid to appear on WGBH. Even so, the question remains: Should a journalist keep an arm’s length distance from those organizations he might cover?
My answer is Yes.