Final Word from Thursday, May 29, 2014
Like its competitors, the Washington Post reported that Amazon is using questionable practices in its contract negotiations with Hachette publishers. The Post is owned by CEO Jeff Bezos of Amazon, but the paper's Standards and Ethics code makes no allowance for giving its owner any special treatment. If journalists are to behave ethically, the code says, they shall "tell ALL the truth so far as [they] can learn it, concerning the important affairs of America and the world." Nor does the NY Times make any provision for treating its owner any differently from anyone else. Compare this to the CR. E15 ignored the VAT-fraud charges that were filed against its owner; Respekt has a stated policy of not writing about its owner, and Editor-in-chief Erik Tabery doesn't see the incongruity of saying that Economia is a dream place to work in terms of journalistic independence; Blesk and Reflex don't even know who their real owners are. [Czech Republic František Mladá fronta Zdeněk Martin Ringier Axel Springer New York Times]
Glossary of difficult words
to make allowance for - to regard or treat leniently on account of mitigating circumstances;
to make provision for - to provide for; to make arrangements or preparations for;
incongruity - inconsistency; something that is not in harmony with its surroundings.