News-Record.com

"Is it OK for me to attend the Obama speech?" one of our newsroom folks asked me last week. "Not to cover it as a journalist or anything, but just to watch it?"

It's a common question whenever politics is involved. Journalists' answers to this question run from "Absolutely not' to "Sure. What's the big deal?" (Disagreement in a newsroom? Who'd a thunk?)

My answer: Yes, if you want to go listen to someone who could be the next president of the United States, go. Don't carry an Obama sign or where a pin or indicate support (or protest, for that matter). But you are welcome to educate yourself and to see the candidate in the flesh and listen to his words. Attending will certainly help you understand better what people see in him and how they respond.

I would give the same response to those in the newsroom who want to watch McCain and/or Palin when they come. If either comes.

Some in the traditional media think that attending rallies feeds the perception of political bias. And I suspect that for some, it does. Others think we should go in the other direction and state our biases at the top so that readers will know how to interpret our reporting. I'm at neither place, obviously.