Partial screenshot - https://www.spj.org/pdf/spj-code-of-ethics.pdf

Newark, NJ - On Sunday, September 22, the New Jersey Society of Professional Journalists (NJSPJ) hosted a webinar with the Executive Director and Editor of HonestReporting.com, Gil Hoffman. Initially suggested by Steve Lubetkin, NJSPJ board secretary, then championed by Kenneth Burns, board president, it is unclear how much research and effort was made to ensure the guest was appropriate for the topic. As such, the decision by the NJSPJ board to invite a biased outlet to discuss avoiding media bias calls the credibility of the entire organization’s mission into question. As one of the central guiding media bodies in the state, New Jersey journalists should now reconsider if NJSPJ should continue to be entrusted with that responsibility.

Partial screenshot - https://www.njspj.org/about/

NJSPJ's purpose and role are clearly identified on its website. Tasked with “improving journalism,” the board has a duty to its members, including this political writer, to carefully examine the entities for workshops and presentations. 

The emergency meeting called in the days leading up to the webinar was an attempt to address some concerns. However, the board, which did not consider cancellation, voted 5-3 to move forward. This decision resulted in the resignation of a new NJSPJ board member, Josie Gonsalves, who is the publisher of this news organization and will release a written statement regarding her resignation in the near future.

Leading up to the day before the event, the board continued to receive concerns from the community and dues-paying journalists regarding the webinar. This included an article by this author detailing the investigation of the HonestReporting.com website, its leadership, finances, and associations. That piece was shared with both Burns and Ashanti Blaize, national president of the SPJ, via email, and neither responded to the communication.

The webinar “How to Avoid Media Bias in Your Middle East Reporting” was billed as an opportunity to examine international reporting in the US. In the opening, Burns indicated this would be the first in a series of webinars (future webinars have not been set) that would allow journalists to identify significant voices in international reporting. In his recent interview with Prism, Burns stated that he would take the opportunity to publicly address allegations regarding harm caused to Palestinian reporters via HonestReporting.com.

Partial screenshot - https://www.njspj.org/how-to-avoid-bias-in-your-middle-east-reporting-honestreporting-com-webinar-3-p-m-edt-september-22/

Burns, a Maryland native, currently resides in New Jersey and has been a reporter/commentator for WHYY since 2018. His prior experience includes various roles in Baltimore and Washington, DC, and two awards for his journalism contributions. As the current president of NJSPJ, Burns is responsible for ensuring the state chapter abides by the code of ethics outlined by the national organization. As the moderator, Burns was also responsible for ensuring the webinar provided the information promised to attendees. 

Rather than presenting methods to avoid media bias, the webinar functioned to underscore the need for understanding media bias. Attendees witnessed a guest unabashedly spouting disinformation alongside a moderator who demonstrated that propaganda could sway journalists, which can lead to amplifying bias.

One notable exchange begins at approximately 01:01:40. Burns reads a question from the audience regarding the lack of media coverage of Hamas’ plans to “annihilate Jews.” Hoffman responds with unsubstantiated claims regarding the Hamas charter and leadership and associates Hamas with the 9/11 attack. Burns then asked a follow-up question about the phrase “from the desert to the sea,” which he called an “anti-semitic trope.” Beyond the misquoting of this well-known statement by Burns using a wrong word, as the phrase includes the word “river,” not “desert,” he also fails as a journalist when he repeats misinformation and fails to present any questions to counter Hoffman's claims.

As a journalist, even if Burns was not versed in the history or current events of the region, his role demands fact-checking the statements presented by Hoffman with little evidence. Doing so would have enabled the possibility of an actual discourse regarding bias—a discussion that explored the pitfalls of bias in the media rather than the dehumanization of Palestinian people and reporters.

Given the webinar and the concerns raised by others, journalists and community members should question the Board's overall decision and examine what can be expected of NJSPJ in the future. 

Questions to consider:

1. Why was a “pro-Israel” NJSPJ board member, with material ties to Israel, able to suggest an Israeli “watchdog” group as presenters on this topic?

2. Given Burns’ stated understanding that HonestReporting.com was “pretty one-sided”, what was behind the decision to move forward with the media organization’s Executive Editor as an expert on “how to avoid media bias?”

3. Why did NJSPJ presumably dismiss the ties HonestReporting.com has to AIPAC? Or its lack of transparency with regard to where the material support for the outlet comes from - given that it holds millions of dollars in assets.

4. Should journalists expect that all future webinar guests of NJSPJ will be allowed to vocalize debunked narratives, false statements and historical inaccuracies while presenting as “experts” on a topic?

5. Should moderators be selected from non-board members? Was it a well-considered decision for the board president to “moderate” a conversation on a topic for which he is either uninformed or unwilling to push back when guests participate in harmful narratives and propaganda?

6. Does the board of  NJSPJ owe a response to the members-at-large for presenting information not aligned with the code of ethics of the national organization? How do people escalate their concerns which went unheeded by Burns and the majority of the NJSPJ board?

Burns is not incorrect about the state of international reporting in the US. Along with the decrease of local outlets, the creation of media conglomerates owned by few people and/or corporations, as well as the pervasiveness of shared national narratives, the ability to access truth has become more difficult for those seeking it. Given this, it is now more important than ever that organizations responsible for guiding journalism and the ethics of its practice succeed at this task.

As the webinar did not achieve its promoted purpose and provided a public forum for propaganda, inaccuracies, and false narratives, NJSPJ may be failing at its stated objective. NJSPJ must be called to task for this irresponsible action, which allowed an outlet committed to a pro-Israel agenda regarding “Middle East reporting” for NJ journalism—an agenda that is counterproductive and harmful to the ultimate purpose of providing information to the people of New Jersey.