By Gail Shister
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Published: 11/19/2006
Excerpt:
You won't see her on the campaign trail, but NBC10 anchor Renee
Chenault-Fattah plans to stay on the air while her husband runs for
mayor.
To avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, her 11 p.m.
co-anchor, Tim Lake, will handle any stories involving the mayoral race
or City Hall, Chenault-Fattah says. The rest will be business as usual.
"I'll sit there and do what I do every single day - read the stories
in front of me," says Chenault-Fattah, who married U.S. Rep. Chakah
Fattah in 2001. "If and when, more likely when, a negative story about
[Fattah] comes down the pike, the station will be all over it, as well
it should be." ...
... Media experts agree that it's not unethical for Chenault-Fattah to
continue with her job, but it will be difficult. One big challenge:
determining the boundaries on her assignments.
"Does she then not cover anything with the Democratic Party?" asks
Kelly McBride, an ethics instructor at the Poynter Institute for Media
Studies in St. Petersburg, Fla.
