In class this last week, we had a guest speaker from the Salt Lake Tribune. He talked about experiences that he has had in working in journalism, but one topic that really peaked my interested was the idea of what role a journalists personal religious views plays in the workplace? Does a journalist refuse to do a story that may have a bias based on his/her religious values? It is a question that can be hard to answer, but in a place like Utah, and other places, it plays a rather large role. A big group discussion was started on individual views, but my view is this: if there is a large bias, have the editor get someone else to do the story, but if the religious views of the journalist could create a more accurate picture on the topic, then I believe its alright for the journalist to do the story. Bottom line: know your limits.
One such case which I believe would be an applicable topic is if an LDS journalist was sent to cover the recent story on Kody Brown, the recent polygamist in Lehi, UT who has/had a show on TLC called "Sister Wives." here is a link to the story
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/28/polygamist-kody-brown-sis_n_741987.html
An LDS journalist has a clear picture on how the LDS church stands on polygamy and give give accurate facts. However, if the story were about and LDS topic vs a Catholic topic, the LDS journalist should take himself/herself away from the story because of a heavy bias that would be present.
other news: Here is a link to another story about polygamy, which seems to be a front page topic recently. This one is on Warren Jeffs:
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2010/0727/Warren-Jeffs-Utah-court-overturns-polygamist-s-rape-conviction
I agree with you about knowing your limits about what you should report on, and what stories may need to go to someone else. I think the great part about being a journalist is being able to take a story and present it in the best possible way. If there is someone who could truly do the story better because of your natural biases; I see nothing wrong with giving them that chance. This shows maturity in a journalist in my opinion; to care enough about their public to make sure what is presented to them is of the highest quality.
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