Former Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman

I’m in something of a quandary. I received an email this morning reminding me that former Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman wants me to joined his LinkedIn network. This social media site is designed for working professionals who want to build a collection of contacts as they look ahead to the next step in their careers (whether they want to take one or not). The site allows people to post complete resumes and formal recommendations from former bosses, co-workers and others — with the idea of making contact with prospective employers faster than ever. I do use the unpaid side of LinkedIn, and have added mostly media professionals to my own network.

But Berman’s inquiry points to a question I struggle with — how far should I extend my network? Journalism ethical standards strongly urge independence from government officials and others of public influence so we can be proper watchdogs. While Berman is no longer mayor, he intends to continue to be a prominent presence in Gilbert and to run for the Town Council in the next election. Would accepting Berman’s invitation cause a large number of people to doubt my independence from him? I suspect the answer is “yes.”

How about current and former colleagues now working in public relations for government, nonprofits or private businesses. Am I compromised because they make up some of my current LinkedIn contacts?

The upheavals to the newspaper industry and to journalism in general has forced many peers to seek other forms of work. I might very well find myself in such a position sometime in the future. Does refusing to join the network of Berman or a former colleague (and a list of local contacts potentially far more extensive than mine) automatically reduce my chances of future employment if I have to switch careers some day?

Rapidly evolving social media is prompting many people in many fields to ask this kind of question. I also have a personal Facebook page, in which I have generally excluded news sources but have included current and past work colleagues, personal friends, family and former classmates. Still, I’m aware that anything I post on Facebook could become a subject of public reporting, regardless of my intentions. Take a look at what happened with Barrett Marson, a former Tribune reporter and a spokesman for the state Department of Corrections. After a reporter from a competing newspaper lifted a thread of comments supposedly from prominent local officials on Facebook and reprinted them, several local journalists told me they were immediately “de-friended” (is that really a word now?) by Marson to keep them from reading what he might say on Facebook in the future.

I’m not sure where those of us who want to stay in journalism should draw the line. Do you?