Forget
ash clouds and
terrorism in New York - for the last four weeks, there's only really been one story in town. Whether you work on a trade magazine about dental chairs or a local newspaper in deepest Ruralshire, chances are you're going to be writing something political this week.
But while for certain journalists - the editor of the
Spectator, say, or
political editor of the Daily Mirror - it's OK to be nakedly party political, for the great majority of us the election presents a bit of a conundrum.
We almost certainly have political views, and at election time, it's natural to want to share them, whether it means talking to friends, putting up posters, or commenting on the leaders' debates on Twitter. But given that most of us try at work to at least give the impression of being fair and balanced, it can be difficult. Should you slag off David Cameron on your Facebook profile, then write a story about the local Conservative candidate the next day? Is it really OK to mock Gordon Brown when you know that a significant number of your readers will be dyed-in-the-wool Labour supporters?
And if it is, where do we draw the line?
In America, where they take these things a lot more seriously, there's a suggestion that journalists should be more open. A
straw poll of hacks by the Online Journalism Review before their 2008 presidential election found that 38% believed journalists should as a matter of course tell their readers how they voted. After all, journalists would normally be expected to make a declaration of interest if their personal position influences something they're writing, so why not for political articles?
In the UK, opinions vary widely. The nationals obviously take an openly party political line, even if it's save to assume that not all
Times journalists vote Tory and - as
this report from the crucial editorial meeting shows - not all
Guardian journalists are going to vote Lib Dem.
Sky News' political editor Adam Boulton reportedly refuses to vote at all, to preserve his objectivity, while the BBC's Nick Robinson votes -
but in secret.
'I take the view that I vote because I can't possibly tell other people that this matters and then not participate.' he says. 'But funnily enough I'm not going to tell you how.'
So, let us know what you think, in the comments and the poll at the top right. Is it OK for journalists to share their political views, or does it damage readers' confidence in our objectivity? Should we be forced to disclose our political views, to allow readers to take any bias into account? Or should we just not vote at all?
According to Gorkana, the New Civil Engineer is looking for a 'new journalist', although we think they probably mean a 'news journalist'. Whatever the exact title, you'll basically be a reporter. Definitely not a sub.
