Blank bylines
When I open a newspaper, sometimes before I even read the story or look at the headlines, I like to look at the byline. I don’t know why, I just think it’s interesting to look at the reporter’s name, and going through my mental database of that reporter’s work, I can tell before even digging into the story how the tone of the piece is going to be.
But recently, at The Baltimore Sun, reporters withheld their bylines in protest of the “heavy-handed” tactics and pay cuts being doled out by the Tribune Co.
I understand the need to show solidarity with your fellow colleagues, but I have problems with this action for a couple reasons. First, as I have said before, reporters need to stay unbiased – even when it comes to their own company. These reporters and photogs wouldn’t overtly protest the actions of another company, so they shouldn’t do it with their own, either.
Secondly, I don’t like what these journalists are doing because it takes away from the transparency in journalism. Readers deserve to know who’s writing these stories. Readers deserve to know that the article about Exxon’s profits isn’t written by someone who has a tie to Exxon.
It’s unclear how long this “strike” will last. In my opinion, it’s already gone on too long.
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