In short, people who report the news should not be involved in making that news. We are eager for News Journal employees to play full roles in the community. At the same time, we are worried that if News Journal employees play a dominant role on something like the Delaware Law School board of trustees and the law school then happens to get a lot of favorable coverage, the public would draw unflattering conclusions about cause and effect. Should a minor organization where a News Journal employee plays a dominant role suddenly be propelled into the limelight, the employee would have to step down from his or her leadership position. Because politics and government are of prime news interest and are woven through almost all areas of coverage, a News Journal news and editorial department employee may not run for or hold public office, may not work for a political party or candidate and may not work for any agency receiving public funds.
Public demonstrations are another area of potential conflict.
Employees may not participate in such demonstrations if they fall within the normal range of News Journal coverage. Freelance contributors, while not bound by the same restrictions as regular employees, should abide by the spirit of these standards, since the freelancers also represent The News Journal papers to some degree. To avoid any potential conflict between journalistic objectivity and a freelancer's commercial or political interests, it is the freelancer's responsibility to make any potential conflict known to the News Journal management. If management deems that a conflict exists, the freelancer's work will be refused. A freelancer who happens to run a book store, for example, will be barred from reviewing books.