THE boss of 2AY has brushed off concerns of conflict of interest held by his breakfast radio team Kylie King and Kev Poulton who are now mayors of Albury and Wodonga.
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Station manager Andrew Harrison was reacting to media ethics specialist Denis Muller who on Wednesday said it was untenable the pair should be mayors and radio announcers.
Mr Harrison said the duo did not cover controversial council matters, leaving those to The Border Mail.
"It hasn't been an issue with Kev and it won't be with Kylie," he said.
"It's a really light show and we don't touch those contentious issues.
"We leave that to you, that's your laneway, if I can use those words.
"We're in the entertainment space and that's what we do."
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In a media release to mark Cr King's elevation to mayor, Mr Harrison stated: "We are very excited to support Kylie as she leads our flourishing city of Albury into the future as our new mayor.
"To have both Kylie and Kev representing our diverse community so passionately at this level of leadership in local government really is unheard of."
Dr Muller, who teaches media ethics at Melbourne University, said it was anti-democratic to have city leaders also have powerful media positions.
"I'm sure their profiles as broadcasters helped them in their political careers but once they've attained that political position they need to resign from their broadcast roles," he said.
Dr Muller said the community would lose out with issues left uncovered through omission or commission.
"I do think it's a conflicted position and really not serving the local people well because you can't expect them to cover the council impartially or independently.
"They may well cover the council in a PR type of way."
The author of Media Ethics and Disasters and Journalism Ethics for the Digital Age contrasted it to a Border Mail journalist being in the role.
"Imagine if a reporter on The Border Mail had become mayor of say Albury it would be quite untenable for him to become mayor and remain a reporter," Dr Muller said.
"The editor would be forcing him to choose between one or the other and this isn't any different."
Dr Muller also noted there was less reporting on the Border, with axed television bulletins, and each media voice became more important so to have two conflicted meant there was less accountability to the community.
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