By Matt Volz
The Associated Press
Published: 5/21/05
Excerpt:
Holbert said he used to be a print and broadcast journalist and equated reporting with his current job as a spokesman for the state.
“I think spokespersons who handle news announcements are certainly journalists,” he said. “I define the word journalist generically as (having) news-oriented writing skills.”
Bob Steele, the senior ethics professor at the Poynter Institute, a think tank for journalists in St. Petersburg, Fla., said Holbert should have been clear about his professional position and identified himself as a former journalist.
Journalists are the watchdogs of government and those who run it, Steele said, adding, “If someone in government confuses the citizens in terms of that distinction between the journalist and the government official, that’s counterproductive to the citizens.”
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