Outside roles by NBC’s Conde, others reveal a journalism ethics issue: being paid to sit on boards

By DAVID BAUDER
AP Media Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Most news organizations hold its journalists to strict ethical standards to avoid conflicts of interest either real or perceived. Is the same true for its bosses? Outside corporate positions held by NBC Universal News Group chief Cesar Conde and CNN boss Mark Thompson reveal an ethical issue that has received little discussion. Should people who supervise news organizations, even if their background is more corporate than journalistic, be held to the same standards as their journalists? A former top executive at NBC News, now retired, believes Conde’s corporate roles represent a conflict of interest. Such arrangements aren’t always addressed in conduct codes.