Inquirer and Daily News journalists sign petition to owners of papers

Journalists at the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com have signed a statement calling on ownership and any potential suitor to honor journalistic ethics. 

Inquirer reporter Craig McCoy says more than 250 journalists and others working for the three entities have signed the statement.  It calls for current and future owners to guarantee the journalistic integrity.

“I think we just wanted to underscore and reiterate the core values that we follow here at the paper,” said McCoy.

Mark Block is a spokesman for Philadelphia Media Networks, which owns the paper and website and is entertaining buyers.  He would only read a statement on the issue.

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“We agree with this important public statement from our journalists re-affirming our unified pledge in support of the bill of rights,” he said.

This became an issue as the current ownership initially killed stories about potential suitors.  Privately, many reporters say they’re uncomfortable about the political activism of the group headed by former Governor Ed Rendell that seems to be a leading contender to buy the operation.

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