Noted: I presented the facts to three ethicists: Kelly McBride at the Poynter Institute, a journalism training center in Florida; Bob Steele, a professor at DePauw University and a scholar at Poynter; and Stephen Ward, director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. All agreed that Pogue and The Times were facing a clear conflict of interest.
They didnâ??t necessarily agree on how to resolve it. McBride said the paper should not deprive readers of Pogueâ??s expertise, but she and Ward said there should be rigorous oversight and full disclosure to readers about his interests. Steele said disclosure doesnâ??t make the problem go away, and it would be better if Pogue did not review products for which he has written manuals.