Journalistic integrity is not dead:
Mary Cornatzer, business editor, said she wasn’t aware of that connection [between Workplace Options and Public Policy Polling] and would not have used the survey if she’d known. She said the reporter knew that Debnam was an investor in Public Policy Polling but didn’t pursue that link – "a decision she is now regretting," Cornatzer said.
This was a problem. It undermines the credibility of the story. The N&O should have done more due diligence in checking out that poll and, especially, checking into Debnam’s dual roles. I first became aware of the problem through this blog [Red Clay Citizen].
Kudos also to Chris Hayes for pointing this out, yesterday, and to the N&O for their humility in recognizing an honest mistake and handling it with grace. (Not so much, perhaps, for Public Policy Polling, who probably should’ve known better.)
-Max Borders
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