Outdoors roles by NBC’s Conde, others reveal a journalism ethics problem: being paid to take a seat on boards

NEW YORK — As NBC Information Group chairman, Cesar Conde, is already busy overseeing the community’s broadcast and digital information operations, together with CNBC, MSNBC, Telemundo and NBC-owned native associates.
But the manager additionally has a second paid job. And a 3rd — as a member of Walmart and PepsiCo’s company boards. The association has raised some moral issues, and divulges a possible blind spot for a information enterprise normally very severe about conflicts — actual or perceived.
CNN’s new chief govt, Mark Thompson, chairs Ancestry.com’s board. And though Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, proprietor of The Washington Submit, shouldn’t be a journalist, the newspaper reminds readers who he’s when writing about Amazon. Former President Donald Trump has eagerly identified Bezos’ twin roles.
A former NBC Information govt, Invoice Wheatley, not too long ago questioned the propriety of Conde’s exterior company roles at a time when the information division’s management is already underneath hearth for the hiring and fast dismissal — following a workers revolt — of former Republican Nationwide Committee head Ronna McDaniel as a contributor.
“It appeared to me that this was a further occasion of NBC administration not understanding the foundations by which information leaders are imagined to play,” stated Wheatley, who retired in 2005 as NBC Information’ govt vice chairman and has finished work as a information guide since.
Conde was on the Walmart and PepsiCo boards earlier than he took over as NBC Information Group chairman in 2020. The NBC Information chief earned $275,018 from Walmart in 2022 and $320,000 from PepsiCo, in a mix of money and inventory, based on Wage.com.
NBC would not remark to The Related Press on the matter.
There is not any proof that Conde has been concerned with any NBC tales involving the 2 firms. NBC pointed to a 2021 Wall Avenue Journal article the place the community stated he would recuse himself from any reporting on the businesses.
Typically, journalists work onerous to keep away from any state of affairs the place a battle might be alleged, even when the battle itself doesn’t come to cross: Did reporters, for instance, write optimistic tales on an organization {that a} boss is concerned with, or ignore unhealthy information as a result of it would anger a superior? Notion might be as essential as an precise battle; some journalists go as far as to not even vote in an election that their outlet is masking.
This holds true inside NBC as properly. Amongst different guidelines: The enterprise community CNBC that Conde oversees forbids its journalists — and their spouses — from proudly owning inventory for these causes.
Recusal is an effective step, Wheatley says, but it surely would not treatment the battle.
“In a super world, I believe information executives ought to keep away from conditions like this,” stated Jane Kirtley, a professor of media ethics and legislation on the College of Minnesota. If the state of affairs cannot be prevented, it is essential to reveal it and clarify the businesses will face reporting that takes place “with out worry or favor,” she stated.
Kelly McBride, senior vice chairman and ethics professional on the Poynter Institute, the pre-eminent journalism assume tank, agrees that the state of affairs is not preferrred. On the identical time, she says, “we do not need executives or anyone in journalism to be a clean slate.”
Leaders in journalism have historically labored their approach up the ranks however that is not at all times the route anymore. Conde succeeded in company, not information, roles at Univision and Telemundo earlier than getting his present job. CNN’s Thompson was a high govt on the BBC and The New York Instances. On the latter, his greatest achievement was extra in enterprise than journalism, shepherding a profitable digital transformation.
CNN wouldn’t talk about whether or not Thompson is paid for his Ancestry.com job. Representatives for the corporate, a personal one not obligated to reveal salaries, didn’t reply to a message. The Glassdoor jobs web site estimated administrators at Ancestry are paid in an identical six-figure vary because the Walmart and PepsiCo jobs.
Thompson has recused himself from any information involving Ancestry or different genealogical firms, community spokeswoman Emily Kuhn stated.
ABC this spring appointed Debra O’Connell, a longtime govt on the community and its company proprietor, the Walt Disney Co., to a place that oversees ABC Information. O’Connell’s background is in gross sales and advertising. She has unpaid positions on boards involving Nationwide Geographic and the A&E Networks, each firms affiliated with Disney.
It is onerous to make assumptions about how journalists will cope with understanding the boss has curiosity in a selected firm.
It is human nature to wish to keep away from issues, though McBride notes that some contrarian journalists who wish to show their independence would dive proper in. For instance, The Washington Submit in 2021 analyzed authorities knowledge for a narrative on the risks confronted by Amazon warehouse employees.
As a result of NBC would not deal with questions on Conde, it is not clear whether or not anybody at NBC Common signed off on him persevering with together with his paid board positions.
The New York Instances and Wall Avenue Journal are two information firms with conduct codes that particularly speak about such roles. The Instances says workers members “could not be a part of boards of trustees, advisory committees or related teams besides these serving journalistic organizations or in any other case selling journalism training.” The Journal says its workers “could not function administrators, officers, advisors, traders, consultants or companions of any firm or enterprise dedicated to profit-making.”
Different conditions are murkier. ABC, CBS and Fox Information stated its information leaders do not serve on paid exterior company boards, however could not or would not level to insurance policies that forbid the observe.
The AP worker handbook says that “we keep away from addressing, or accepting charges or expense from, governmental our bodies; commerce, lobbying or particular curiosity teams; companies or labor teams; or any group that might pose a battle of curiosity.” Neither AP President Daisy Veerasingham nor Julie Tempo, AP’s govt editor and senior vice chairman, sits on any exterior boards, a spokeswoman stated.
It will make sense for information organizations to clarify insurance policies about service on exterior boards, and description procedures whether it is allowed, Poynter’s McBride stated. “I do not assume it was a lot of a problem prior to now,” she stated. “The character of reports firms has gotten far more difficult that it is more likely to develop into a problem sooner or later.”
Information organizations are additionally left to determine for themselves the way to alert readers or viewers of potential conflicts. The Submit typically makes clear its proprietor’s ties to Amazon when writing in regards to the firm; a September 2023 story about office security included this disclaimer: “Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Submit.”
The Submit is aware of it’s being watched. Trump has known as the newspaper the “Amazon Washington Submit” on social media and wrote on Twitter in 2018 that “The Washington Submit is nothing greater than an costly … lobbyist for Amazon.”
On NBC”s “Nightly Information” final July, reporter Jacob Burns reported a narrative about how Walmart was utilizing synthetic intelligence to assist inventory its cabinets and alter the roles of a few of its workers. Burns quoted an organization spokesman saying that AI would not end in job losses, and a enterprise faculty professor who expressed some skepticism about that.
Whereas Conde’s NBC company profile mentions his affiliation with Walmart, it was not included as a part of Burns’ story or in a handful of digital items which have run in regards to the firm.
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David Bauder writes about media for The Related Press. Comply with him at http://twitter.com/dbauder.