Lawmakers decry TV station's ban on flag-wearing newscasters

By The Associated Press,
freedomforum.org staff

09.28.01

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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Some state lawmakers are upset about a ban of on-air displays of patriotic symbols by newscasters at the commercial television station owned by the University of Missouri-Columbia.

KOMU-TV News Director Stacey Woelfel said yesterday that the policy is matter of journalistic ethics, to demonstrate to the NBC affiliate's viewers "that in no way are we influenced by the government in informing the public."

"Leave the ribbons at home when reporting or anchoring for KOMU News," Woelfel said in an e-mail to staffers within days of the Sept. 11 terror attacks in New York and Washington.

Those staffers include scores of journalism students for whom the KOMU newsroom is a working laboratory.

State lawmakers who received forwarded copies of Woelfel's e-mail criticized the policy, saying it limited freedom of speech by KOMU staffers. Some legislators pledged to sharply scrutinize future university budget requests.

KOMU is in the unusual circumstance of serving as a commercial television station owned by a taxpayer-supported university. Its operating costs are paid from advertising revenues, although its newsroom instructors receive part of their salaries from state funds.

Woelfel said in an interview that KOMU's status as a government-owned station made it all the more important to let viewers know its news reports are "free from government influence."

His e-mail said "our news broadcasts are not the place for personal statements of support for any cause — no matter how deserving the cause seems to be."

"This includes the little red, white, and blue ribbons that a lot of people are sporting these days," Woelfel wrote. "Our job is to deliver the news as free from outside influences as possible."

The station competes in the Columbia-Jefferson City market against ABC and CBS affiliates, which said their newsrooms haven't imposed a similar policy.

Woelfel said 80% to 90% of calls received by the station about the policy opposed it.

Marty Siddall, the station's general manager, said one advertiser withdrew ads because of the policy, and another local company canceled plans to start advertising.

But Siddall said other KOMU advertisers had "called to tell us they understood this policy."

State Rep. Matt Bartle, R-Lee's Summit, had an exchange of e-mails with Woelfel debating the policy. Bartle said in a telephone interview that "the state-owned TV station should not unconstitutionally violate the free speech rights of its employees."

The Digital Missourian yesterday reported part of the exchange between Bartle and Woelfel. "This is not a matter of journalistic even-handedness," Bartle wrote. "This is a matter of simple decency and respect for our fellow human-beings.

"As a member of the state legislature in Missouri, I am going to be evaluating far more carefully state funding that goes to the School of Journalism. If this is what you are teaching the next generation of journalists, I question whether the taxpayers of this state will support it," the Digital Missourian quoted Bartle's e-mail as saying.

The Digital Missourian reported that Woelfel e-mailed Bartle to say that "Not all ethical decisions are popular with either the public or those who must exercise them. But it is a measure of the strength of the ethical position and the person who holds it to see if it can remain intact against prevailing sentiment."

Bartle told the Digital Missourian: "My sense is, this is censorship of journalists. It's basically saying that if you choose to become a journalist, you are basically giving up your right to display that you are an American citizen."

The Associated Press reported that Bartle said he doubted legislative budget actions would have an effect on the policy because KOMU doesn't rely on state funding for its operations.

"All I can do now is complain and hope that cooler heads revise this policy," Bartle said.

The KOMU debate is part of a national discussion among journalists about whether flag displays during an intense period of grief and patriotism are consistent with trying to appear objective on stories.

Barbara Walters of ABC has told viewers that wearing the flag is discouraged because it may confuse the audience. She also said viewers might wonder whether an employee who doesn't wear the flag is less patriotic than one who does.

But NBC's Tim Russert wore a red, white and blue ribbon on his lapel while moderating "Meet The Press." CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC have been displaying flag graphics during newscasts.

Siddall noted that KOMU's non-news programming and station promos prominently display Old Glory. And NBC's tiny logo appearing during all network shows now has red, white and blue around the familiar peacock.

Update

Missouri House votes to cut university budget to protest station's no-flag policy
'It was either this or going over and punching (KOMU's news director) in the face,' says lawmaker.  04.09.02

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Opinions divided on whether on-air patriotic emblems blur objectivity.  09.21.01