I adhere to my employers’ ethics guidelines and, when relevant, disclose all conflicts of interest to my editor or supervisor. Conflicts of interest include covering institutions or individuals with whom I have (1) a significant or ongoing business relationship, or (2) a personal relationship. (I define this as spending, or having spent, significant recreational time together.) Personal relationships do not better one’s odds of coverage — if anything, I view them as a deterrent, as to avoid the appearance of a conflict. When meeting with sources or business contacts for a meal, I will not accept favors beyond a coffee.
Should you solicit me for in-house writing, please keep in mind that I will always disclose our former or ongoing business relationships to a publication, and that many publications consider such relationships an impediment to coverage.
Hannah Edgar 