Chicago reporter draws ire for turn to political pitchman - Axios ChicagoLog InLog InAxios Chicago is an Axios company.

Local ex-reporter draws ire for turn to political pitchman

Darren Bailey talks to reporters at the Illinois State Fair. Photo: Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images The outrage over former ABC-7 chief political reporter Charles Thomas' ads for gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey has spread to his former colleagues. Why it matters: Chicago journalists don't usually attack one another publicly. Context: Thomas retired in 2017, but he's back with a new series of local ads called "." According to , a PAC supporting Bailey paid Thomas $50,000 to do the ads. Driving the news: This doesn't sit well with Thomas' former colleagues at ABC-7. Former sports anchor Mark Giangreco tweeted about it during last Thursday's Bears game: Screenshot of @mark_giangreco Thomas responded with: Screenshot of @CThomasdrum Then came former news anchor Ron Magers: Screenshot of @RonMagersABC7 What they're saying: "I was surprised to see Charles, my longtime ABC-7 colleague and successor as political reporter, starring in a political ad," retired reporter Andy Shaw tells Axios."Former newsies rarely engage in high-visibility partisan politics, and that’s one reason several of our former colleagues were so critical." "Beyond that, Charles doesn't represent ABC 7 any longer, so he's free to support any candidate in any way he chooses, as are the rest of us." The intrigue: There have always been strict ethical guidelines for working journalists on political issues. Columbia College Chicago journalism professor Sharon Bloyd-Peshkin tells Axios that Thomas is not bound to any code of ethics since he's retired. "That said, he is being paid by the campaign specifically because he was a reporter for a quarter-century, and his credibility rests on his having abided by journalistic ethics and having avoided conflicts of interest all that time." Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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