AN NY1 REPORTER called in to a talk show on his own station and asked a question. Except rather than using his own name - Gary Ramsey, he posed as "Dalton from the Upper East Side."And now he is unemployed.
The topic was Bernie Kerik, the former NYC police chief who is currently facing federal indictment charges. Ramsey, posing as Dalton, came down hard on those who were giving Kerik a perceived easy ride in the press.
What if Ramsey had used his real name and asked questions? Would it then have been good journalism rather than deception?
4 comments:
Since Ramsay (with an 'a' not an 'e' right?) worked for NY1 at the time, he shouldn't have called in to the station in the first place. That's like a newspaper reporter writing a letter to the editor of the paper he/she works for and the paper actually running it...it's kind of self-serving.
Ramsay definitely broke a rule here, whether or not he used his real name. And the fact that he made up a name just makes it look more suspicious.
I buy that he was already planning on leaving anyway, though. I don't think this whole thing is the reason he decided to quit.
It seems weird, too...how his friend said he was frustrated that day because he didn't get some other job he applied for and maybe that's why he had this "lapse in judgment" and decided to call the station. While it is a big deal, I think Ramsay definitely seems overdramatic about it, basically saying how it ruined 15 years of good journalism. I really don't think people will see him as ruined because of something like this, but they will watch him to make sure he doesn't slip-up again.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with what he did. If nobody knew it was him, how was it at all self-serving? Being a journalist, it’s hard to portray your own point of view because of your name. If this was the only way he could get his opinions out anonymously, so be it.
Unless he was trying to push the same point of view as his radio station. That would be wrong, posing as a listener.
I believe you can have whatever opinions you want, as long as you dont express those while on-air anchoring. So I think he should have been able to use his real name because he was "off the clock"
Would his "off the clock" opinions create the perception that his "on the clock" persona has a bias?
Are we ever really "off the clock?"
- George (the teacher who is currently "off the clock")
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