The New York Times’ Ralph Blumenthal returned to campus Tuesday morning, not to attend another closed faculty meeting, but to address Tony Pederson’s media ethics class. Blumenthal is the southwest bureau chief for The Times in Houston.
On Jan. 9, Blumenthal sneaked into a special meeting intended for faculty members only to voice their concerns regarding SMU’s bid for the Bush Library.
Shortly before the meeting began, Faculty Senate President Rhonda Blair said the meeting was for faculty and no one else should be in attendance. Reporter Holly Hacker of The Dallas Morning News stood up and left the room, and Blumenthal said it was a “moment of truth.”
He pointed out The Times’ code of ethics forbids reporters from misrepresenting themselves. Blumenthal added that reporters are not required to reveal who they are.
His interest as a reporter outweighed Blair’s request, he said, and so he chose to conceal his identity and stayed in his seat.
He thought the issue affected the public and what was going on behind the scenes was a matter of great journalistic interest. The reporter said he thinks SMU has a very delicate relationship with the Bush administration.
“I thought it was a public issue,” he said.
The reporter added that the recent executive order passed by President Bush added new restrictions to presidential papers, which added to concerns about the Bush complex.
Faculty Senate Secretary Julie Maynard stood outside the meeting with a sign-in sheet for faculty as they entered. She said of the 600-plus faculty members, approximately 150-175 attended the meeting.
Maynard recalls a bald man identifying himself as a Times reporter. He asked her if the meeting was closed to the press, to which Maynard replied yes.
“I had a feeling someone had gotten past me,” said Maynard. She told Ellen Jackofsky who passed the suspicion on to Blair – thus prompting her announcement at the commencement of the meeting.
Blumenthal said that as a reporter one has the right and obligation to get a story, and others have the right to keep you from getting the story. He added that the job of a reporter is not to walk away from a closed door, but to keep asking questions.
Blumenthal said he would sit in on the meeting again.
“My purpose was to hear the concerns of the faculty,” said Blumenthal.
Rhonda Blair sent out an e-mail to the entire faculty on Jan. 10 thanking them for their attendance and apologizing to them for Blumenthal’s presence.
“I also want to apologize for the violation of trust by Ralph Blumenthal of The New York Times, who snuck into the faculty meeting yesterday and chose to remain in spite of the clear announcement that the meeting was for faculty only,” said Blair in the e-mail.
Blumenthal quoted some members of faculty who attended the meeting without their knowledge. When asked if he took into consideration how his actions may have affected the faculty members whom he quoted without their knowledge, Blumenthal replied that anybody who offers an opinion to 200-300 colleagues in a meeting can’t have too many concerns about confidentiality.
Blumenthal has worked as a Times reporter since 1964 and has written four books. Blumenthal attended City College of New York and graduate school at Columbia University.
