Tom Rosenstiel

Third in a five-part series on the revolving door between journalism and government in New Jersey. Yesterday, Debbie Holtz wrote about the century-old practice of reporters who move to government.

Gov. Jon Corzine's new Communications Director is a Star-Ledger reporter who has covered him for the last three yearsImagine sharing a confidence with a journalist during an "off the record" conversation that becomes part of a media story. Now think about how you'd feel when that reporter resigns and joins the staff of your political adversary.

The first question that pops into your head is: Will my promise of confidentiality still be honored by the reporter in his or her new position?

The jailing of former New York Times reporter Judith Miller and freelance blogger Josh Wolf raised questions about the need for a federal shield law in order to protect the confidentiality of journalist-source relationships from government-seeking subpoenas.

The debate was silent on the question of whether sources are protected from inquisitive government or political employers once a reporter leaves the news organization.

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Second in a five-part series on the revolving door between journalism and government in New Jersey. Yesterday, Debbie Holtz wrote about post-employment ethics for the journalist-turned-spokeswoman.

Gov. Jon Corzine's new Communications Director is a Star-Ledger reporter who has covered him for the last three yearsIt’s described as a “century-old” practice. The list of reporters who moved from the Fourth Estate to government /political spokesperson positions is long and impressive.

It includes Pierre Salinger -- who went from reporter to White House press secretary and back again to chief European correspondent for ABC News. Add Bill Moyers to the list -- his tour of duty began at a local radio station in Texas, made a few stops at posts in the Johnson Administration, only later to return to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). And let’s not forget Jerald terHorst -- President Gerald Ford tapped the former Detroit News Washington Bureau Chief as his press secretary in an effort to return some integrity to the Office of the President after Richard Nixon’s resignation.

The list also includes some lesser known names, and the dividing line between actual and perceived conflicts of interests seems a bit more blurred.

The reality is people change jobs all the time, and for a variety of reasons. Reporters are no different than the rest of the working population. No one's going to get rich from a job in journalism, and particularly at newspapers. The leap from the news room to "the front office" can mean a mean a sizable bump in salary. The average salary for reporters is $42K according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, while communications positions in NJ government and politics are typically in the six figure range.

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First in a five-part series on the revolving door between journalism and government in New Jersey

Gov. Jon Corzine's new Communications Director is a Star-Ledger reporter who has covered him for the last three yearsRecent job jumping by veteran Statehouse newspaper staff raises uncomfortable questions about ethics, full disclosure, and the fate of news sources who suddenly find themselves politically vulnerable in the reporter’s afterlife. Over the next week, we’ll pull back the curtain on a century-old conundrum by asking media industry experts where the line should be drawn.

Consider this scenario: A state senator interviews for a job at PSE&G. Between the interview and the offer, the legislator votes on a utility industry-related issue. How would the press treat the story when it’s later learned the senator was resigning to take a fulltime position with the energy company?

To be certain, reporters would scurry to check the legislative code of ethics for an actual or perceived conflict of interest.

But what's the reaction when a reporter goes from covering the Governor to covering for the Governor as his communications director? Since media organizations are not public entities, the do’s and don’ts of reporters’ post-employment codes of conflict are largely unknown.

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