News
Journalists Discuss Election Ethics, Media Coverage at NYIT
September 23, 2016
Media figures from The Wall Street Journal, NBC News, Yahoo News, PRWeek, and The Economist gathered at a reception and panel discussion co-hosted by NYIT and the Public Relations Society of America—New York (PRSA-NY). The meet-the-media event on “Ethics and the 2016 Presidential Campaign” took place at the NYIT Auditorium on Broadway and was open to PRSA-NY members, invited guests, and students of NYIT and City College of New York (CCNY).
Moderator John Maynard, director of programs at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., led the panel, which consisted of Matthew Bishop, U.S. business editor and New York bureau chief of The Economist; Charity Elder, executive producer at Yahoo Studios, Yahoo News; Matthew Murray, deputy editor in chief of The Wall Street Journal; Noreen O’Donnell, national reporter for NBC; and Frank Washkuch, news editor at PRWeek and adjunct professor at CCNY. The panel was assembled and introduced by CCNY faculty member Angela Chitkara.
Jim Simon, Ph.D., dean of NYIT College of Arts and Sciences, and Emmanuel Tchividjian, senior vice president and chief ethics officer at Ruder Finn, Inc. and chief ethics officer of PRSA-NY, both extended a welcome to the audience of nearly 100 professionals, students, and faculty members. Simon, a former journalist, recently published a piece about the role of new media in the 2016 election in the latest edition of University Business magazine.
The discussion touched on some of the same issues mentioned in Simon’s article, such as why many Americans’ mistrust traditional media; why the two national political parties seem so polarized compared with elections past; whether media outlets should seek balance at the price of accuracy; and whether “fairness” is even possible in reporting on complex issues.
“Overall, it was a great experience for me,” said Communication Arts graduate student Christa Lopez, a photographer for the Manhattan Globe, a student newspaper for NYIT-Manhattan that will soon publish its first edition. “I got to meet some journalism professionals as well some NYIT administrators.”
Learn more about election-related events scheduled for September 27, October 14, and November 9 in New York.
Photos by Christa Lopez/Manhattan Globe
