On objectivity, fairness and NPC Luncheon audiences

(Originally posted to www.press.org November 1, 2011 (immediately after Republican Herman Cain's appearance).

A note about journalistic objectivity, which I take quite very seriously. And I know it is an issue of concern to our Club members as well as the general public.
On occasion, we will have an NPC Luncheon where the audience is partly comprised of guests of members, who are not journalists. While our Club constitution requires that a majority of our members are in the Journalist category, we have many wonderful members who are in the Communicator category. They are not bound by the same professional framework as journalists.
The issue of composition our audience comes into play, when broadcast viewers and listeners hear applause during a political speech and wonder what's going on. The answer is, it isn't mainstream journalists who are offering applause during a politically-charged speech. A funny line from an entertainer is a different story. We might laugh or applaud there.
I had a few e-mails sent to me in the past 24 hours kindly inquiring whether our journalists were biased, because they heard applause during Republican Herman Cain's speech. The quick answer is "no." The same would have been true during any number of political or issue-oriented speeches throughout our history.
To address such concerns, this is why every introduction to a speaker, political or not, includes a line that notes our audience includes members of the general public.
So, if you hear applause, it is not a sign of a lack of journalistic objectivity. Similarly, this year we added a line to the intro to note that someone's presence at the head table does not signify or imply an endorsement. It is important to know during the political season, most of all.
Objectivity and fairness are critically important to our profession and our special privilege as journalists. These mandates are always on the top of my mind as a journalist, including while serving as your NPC president.