A candidate for Medford City Council says I should abstain from participating in editorial endorsements for the council because two of the incumbent candidates are “friends” on my Facebook list.
At first glance, it does seem like a conflict, but maybe not so much on further review. Certainly, if I had identified the two incumbents (Bob Strosser and Al Densmore) as my friends (as opposed to my “friends”), I should declare a conflict and stay out of the debate. But following someone on Facebook, while it’s called “friending,” is more about access to information than a definition of your relationship.
With all due respect to Mssrs. Densmore and Strosser, accepting a “friend” request does not make us friends. It merely means that I — and they — can follow what the other has to say or post on their page. That seems like a logical thing for a journalist to do — after all, information is what it’s all about, whether it’s information provided in a press release or information gleaned from someone’s Facebook page.
There’s another Facebook category that poses a potentially troubling impression — the “fan” label. Many organizations, projects or fund-raising efforts create pages and ask Facebook participants if they want to be a “fan” of the page. Again, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a fan, but rather that you have access to the page.
The truth is, I probably don’t have enough “friends” in high places and I’m not a “fan” of enough events and projects. (The other truth is that anyone who is a “friend” of mine is probably sorely disappointed in the lack of interesting things on my page.)
It seems to me that reporters and editors who are following political or community issues should try to get as much access to candidates, politicians, bureaucrats, public organizations and other people in the news as possible.That’s called doing your job, not being biased.
So, for the candidate who thinks I shouldn’t be “friends” with Strosser and Densmore, I have a suggestion: Send me a “friend” request and I’ll accept it. Just remember, that doesn’t mean we’ll be friends.
