EDITORIAL: Media pussy cats

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What were the people at NBC News thinking? Long-time NBC anchor Tom Brokaw was being considered for a White House appointment when he interviewed President Obama on Jan. 5 and covered him on the news.

The position in question was to become a commissioner on the White House Fellows Commission. Neither NBC nor Mr. Brokaw ever made any disclosure that Mr. Brokaw had been offered or was considering the position. It was not until June 17 that NBC made public that Mr. Brokaw was joining the commission.

According to the White House Web site, the White House Fellows program is "America's most prestigious program for leadership and public service. White House Fellows typically spend a year working as full-time, paid special assistants to senior White House Staff, the vice president, Cabinet secretaries and other top-ranking government officials." For many, being involved firsthand in the formation of government policy is undoubtedly a heady experience. The commission selects who receives these fellowships.

The White House Press Office has refused to respond to multiple press inquiries from us over the past week. This includes basic questions such as when they started to talk to Mr. Brokaw about the position and when he accepted it.

Fortunately, Mr. Brokaw was more forthcoming. He wrote us that he was contacted about joining the commission a month or so before the public announcement, though we still do not know when he accepted the position. And he also wrote us: "I decided to accept after getting clearance from the president of NBC News. I did so only because these are nonpolicy positions - and I would have done [sic] in a Republican administration if asked."

We asked Kelly McBride, the Ethics group leader at the Poynter Institute, a leading school for journalists, whether she thought there were any ethical problems with what Mr. Brokaw did. "Yes, it creates a perception of an appearance of a conflict," Ms. McBride told us. "Talking to your boss is always a good idea, but it doesn't solve the problem because [Mr. Brokaw] is supposed to be a watchdog. That is what his job is. It is not that it is a Republican or Democratic thing."

What should be proper media ethics seems obvious to everyone but those in the media. Unfortunately, the media have forgotten their watchdog role amidst their love affair with the Obama administration.