Should journalists, or even Erin Andrews, be endorsing products?

From: Gonzalez, John

To: Fox, Ashley; Fitzpatrick, Frank

Subject: Selling ourselves

 The New York Times and others are wondering whether Erin Andrews' new endorsement deal with Reebok is unethical. The ESPN reporter did a critical piece on Nike cleats shortly before signing with the Swoosh's competitor.

Any issue with reporters pushing products?

From: Fitzpatrick, Frank

To: Fox, Ashley; Gonzalez, John

Subject: Selling ourselves

 It's a basic tenet of journalism. And it ought to be abundantly clear to anyone who calls himself a journalist that you can't have a financial connection with an entity you're covering. Then again, we're talking about TV people here. In that trendy world of seven-figure-salary ciphers who believe smarmy catchphrases and cozy relationships with athletes equals journalism, ethics and common sense are regarded as soooooooo old-fashioned.

From: Fox, Ashley

To: Gonzalez, John; Fitzpatrick, Frank

Subject: Selling ourselves

ESPN has never cared about Erin Andrews being a journalist, so why should they now? The Reebok deal is inexcusable. If ESPN cared, they would make her give it up. They haven't yet, and I'd be stunned if they did.

From: Gonzalez, John

To: Fox, Ashley; Fitzpatrick, Frank

Subject: Selling ourselves

What if she was pushing something unrelated to what she covers - moon rocks or the Flowbee or some such? Would it matter then?

Who was the first journo to endorse products? Was it Leslie Visser? I remember it being shocking then. Now it feels more like pretend outrage. There are so many TV and radio people who do it that it doesn't faze me any longer.

From: Fitzpatrick, Frank

To: Fox, Ashley; Gonzalez, John

Subject: Selling ourselves

No, there's probably nothing wrong with that. As long as there's no chance of a conflict of interest.

Call me old-fashioned - and who doesn't? - but you violate ethics, and you lose the right to be called a journalist. A shill? Maybe. But definitely not a journalist.

From: Gonzalez, John

To: Fox, Ashley; Fitzpatrick, Frank

Subject: Selling ourselves

We can't do that sort of thing at The Inquirer, and that's for the best. But I don't expect anything out of Erin Andrews or Josh Elliott or Keith Olbermann or Rush Limbaugh. What they do just doesn't matter to me.

From: Fitzpatrick, Frank

To: Fox, Ashley; Gonzalez, John

Subject: Selling ourselves

True. We get what we expect instead of what we demand.