Reporter in 'Gay Pride Parade' Dispute Claims Civil Rights Violated

By: Joe Strupp Editors at The Morning Call of Allentown, Pa. said they would like a feature writer who was suspended for two days after marching in a gay pride parade last weekend to return to work, but the writer says he is not sure if he will.

?My plan is to talk to my attorney and see what my options are,? said Frank Whelan, 56, a longtime writer for the daily, who also pens a weekly history column. ?I think it would depend on how it would be. My civil rights have been violated.?

Ardith Hilliard, editor of the paper, declined to say if or how Whelan had been disciplined for participating in the parade, but confirmed that he had broken the paper?s ethics policy by taking part. Still, she said he had not been fired and was expected to return to his job next week.

?Frank is a valued employee,? she said. ?I fully expect him to come back. He is a very valuable person to us.?

At issue is Whelan?s involvement in a local gay pride parade last Saturday, in which he and his partner, Bob Wittman, served as grand marshals. Editors contend that Whelan did not seek permission to participate in the event and they only found out about it after receiving a press release promoting the parade.

Hilliard said participation was a violation of the paper?s ethics policy, which Whelan and others signed earlier this year, and that prohibits editorial staffers from engaging in ?public demonstrations in favor of or opposed to a cause.?

?He was informed that this was a conflict,? said Hilliard. ?The key thing here is that the parade was described by the group as a gay rights event.?

Whelan said he did not consider the event to be political or controversial, but more of a sign of recognition for his service in the community and his longtime relationship with Wittman, a former journalist. ?It is not recognized as a political rally,? Whelan said. ?I thought they would be pleased. I never cover politics.?

Hilliard described Whelan?s job as a general assignment features writer and weekly columnist. His history column is not the usual opinion column, she added.

Whelan said he was told on June 15, two days before the parade, that his involvement would constitute a breach of the code. He said he was asked what his punishment would be if he participated, but contends editors would not say. ?They just said there would be consequences,? Whelan recalled.

After the Saturday event, the paper ran a story on Sunday about the festivities, which included reference to Whelan?s and Wittman?s participation. It also reported that Hilliard had objected to Whelan?s role and printed a statement from the paper related to it.

?Our editorial employees might feel a personal commitment to many issues currently debated in the public arena. However, as journalists, they should not take public positions on such issues because public advocacy gives rise to questions about the newspaper's independence and impartiality,? the statement said. ?The highest duty of journalists in a democratic society is to provide credible information devoid of favor toward or obligation to any group or agenda.

''A newspaper's responsibility is trust as much as it is news and information,? the statement continued. ?To ensure the credibility and independence of The Morning Call, it is paramount that our journalists guard against conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflict. Accordingly, The Morning Call, like most newspapers, has a Code of Ethics for its journalists to protect our credibility and impartiality.''

Whelan said he was so offended by the coverage and the paper?s reaction that he did not want to go to work on Monday and Tuesday. ?I felt that Sunday?s article suggested that I was immoral,? Whelan told E&P. ?And had broken their policy.? He said the newspaper contacted him on Wednesday and informed him that his time off would be considered an unpaid suspension. He said he came to an agreement with editors to take the remaining three days of this week as vacation days.

?I felt the atmosphere was poisoned between us,? Whelan said about why he chose to stay out of the office. ?I was angry and upset about what they were doing.?

Late Thursday, Whelan said he had plans to meet with his attorney on Friday, but would not say if he expected to take legal action. He said he was primarily interested in finding a way to return to work under different circumstances. ?I want to see if I can offer them some options,? he said of the editors, but declined to be more specific. ?I would not want to come back to the way it was.?

Hilliard said she understood Whelan?s concerns, adding, ?It is a very common issue, this tension between the civil rights issue and the role as journalist.? But, she stressed that the ethical concerns were paramount. She said any other reporter who took part in a similar event, such as an immigrant rights parade or one promoting or opposing gun control, would face the same consequences.

She said she had even consulted with Bob Steele of The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla, about the issue. ?He had an interesting balanced way to approach this,? she said, noting her viewpoint was not changed. Steele could not be reached for comment late Thursday.