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The panel included (from left) Marilyn Ball, Sherri McLendon, Jess McCuan, Jason Sandford and Paul Bonesteel.  Daily Planet Staff Photo

From Daily Planet Staff Reports

Those seeking facts need to be discerning by seeking reliable sources, a panel agreed during a discussion on “Media Ethics” on Oct. 5 at UNC Asheville’s Highsmith University Union.

The program drew a standing-room-only crowd of about 100 students, faculty and others.

Panelists included Jason Sandford, Ashvegas blogger and Asheville Citizen-Times journalist; Jess McCuan, editor of Verve Magazine; Marilyn Ball, president of 12Twelve Collaborative Solutions marketing firm; Paul Bonesteel, founder of Bonesteel Films; and Sherri McLendon, president of the Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina.

At one point during a discussion, Sandford said, “To me, there’s no strategy about being ethical.”

In addressing the question of media creditibility, Bonesteel said, “Our perceptions have changed versus when you were watching Walter Cronkite and felt we were getting everything we needed to know.”

For example, he noted he saw a recent story that said about 75 paid lobbyists had appeared, being identified as commentators instead, on CNN, Fox and other major networks. “As a result, we don’t feel we can trust anything.”

McCuan noted that she has worked with some of the students who work on the Blue Banner student newspaper and has told them to “be as bold (as they dare) in their opinions now because, later, if they work” for a professional publication, they likely will not have that option.

During a discussion of the tension between news and advertising, she said, “We had a debate at Verve over whether to sell an ad to the actual tea party” in the area. “Some of the staff didn’t feel we should run their ad” because they perceived it as a radical right-wing group, with elements that were racist.

Verve ended up running the ad for the Asheville Tea Party, but it also did a feature depicting its top two female leaders that, she stressed, showed a contrast in their beliefs.

“We will sell advertisements to the same people we cover,” McCuan said. “We sell ads to Ingles and, at some point, I hope we’re strong enough to run a critical story” on the supermarket chain, if one arises.

“It’s really up to the discerning readers to see whose trying to sell you an ad” or report the truth, the Verve editor said.

During a brief question-and-answer session, Sandford was asked about his verification process on rumors before he posts items on his blog.

“It depends on what it is,” Sandford replied. “If there’s a rumor a restaurant is opening, I’d put that out there because it’s good news. If there’s a rumor that a restaurant’s going to close, I’d verify it because it’s bad news ... A lot of times, I rely on my instincts as a reporter.”

Sandford then cited, as an example, “there was a rumor last spring that Whole Foods was buying Greenlife. I came out with that” first — and it turned out to be true.

“I’ve held back on rumors that were vicious, nasty or completely untrue.”

McCuan noted that “I heard on blasts from Twitter that my favorite Mexican restuarant was closing,” but it turned out to be untrue.

On a separate matter, she said, “In particular with the Mission Hospital controversy, I felt some local media outlets were hedging — afraid to go up against a really big community instititution.”