It was Machiavelli, considered by many to be the father of political science, who once said, “Politics have no relation to morals.” Election season always brings that point to light.
Near the close of the April 23 Boerne City Council meeting, elected leaders on the dais addressed political flyers circulating in their given districts.
While the flyers carried no mention of the group or individuals responsible for printing — and paying for — the election handbills, the message carried the names of the three men opposing Boerne’s three incumbent councilmen.
One of the flyers carried an article from the Nov. 5, 2023, Boerne Star titled “Earthy water: Algae to blame,” about a blue-green algae problem that plagued the city’s water supplies to parts of town.
On the flyer, the article runs underneath the Boerne Star masthead as well, next to a statement, “Stop The Madness.”
Questions of copyright violations were raised in telephone calls placed to the Star.
News articles are protected under copyright law. When journalists write articles, their newspaper owns the copyright to that work.
Anyone who wants to reproduce, distribute or create derivative works from the article generally needs to obtain permission from the newspaper.
Use of the news clip that appeared in the flyers was not cleared by The Star’s publisher, its editor or the owners of the newspaper, Granite Media Partners Inc.
However, using news articles, headlines, quotes and photos in and for political purposes has been an issue as long as there have been newspapers and elections.
Maintaining an air of neutrality is important to The Star. Traditional news values hold that a journalist’s place in society is to expose and explain a problem or an issue, tell all sides of the story and let the reader draw a conclusion.
Our recent Voters Guide asked questions of all candidates and printed their responses verbatim, editing only for grammar, spelling and length.
We still subscribe to that journalistic mantra. Just because The Star’s masthead and article appeared in a printed flyer does not mean the newspaper is backing, supporting or angling its news coverage to that person — or in this case, those individuals.
We congratulate all who chose to run. Our nation’s system of government, with its built-in checks and balances, can survive only when its residents get involved to “make things work around here.”
All 13 candidates on Boerne’s ballot are to be commended for their service and their willingness to serve.
But make no mistake: The Star does not endorse candidates. The newspaper’s staffers also protect and value their mission, which is to “tell the story” — and not be a part of it.
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