The Pulitzer Prizes awarded each year for literary and journalistic excellence are named after one of the most famed newspaper publishers in American history.

But Joseph Pulitzer’s rise to prominence was almost curtailed more than 153 years ago when he shot a man in the leg following a bitter political dispute. And at the time, Pulitzer was serving as both a state representative and as a journalist.

It was a complicated mix back in 1870, even for a future iconic publisher. And it remains so today, in small towns in Alabama and beyond, where the local newspaper publishers are also sometimes elected to local councils or school boards.

“It’s not ideal,” said Jared Schroeder, an associate professor of journalism at the University of Missouri. “Of course, there is a long history here.”

The intermix of the two – publisher and politician – is creating national headlines for the small southwestern Alabama city of Atmore where newspaper publisher Sherry Digmon is facing criminal charges related to her dual role on the Escambia County School Board and as the owner of a local publication.

Digmon, 72, was indicted by an Escambia County grand jury on Friday for revealing grand jury evidence. Also charged with felonies for disclosing grand jury secrets are Don Fletcher, 69, a reporter at The Atmore News, and Ashley Fore, 47, a bookkeeper at the Escambia County School System.

The charges stem from a newspaper report on an investigation into the school board led by District Attorney Steve Billy. The story followed a heated school board meeting on Oct. 12 in which the board voted 4-3 to not renew the contract for Escambia County Superintendent Michele McClung.

Digmon’s attorney, Ernie White, argues that Billy, who defended McClung at the meeting, is pursuing her with criminal charges because of the political matter, and because of her role in the newspaper industry. Digmon was one of the four board members voting not to renew McClung; Billy vocally supported her during the board meeting.

Digmon is also facing two criminal ethics charges for using her elected school board position for “personal gain” by selling ads to bolster her publications.

Billy and McClung have not returned calls for comment.

“She’s 72 years old, owns a newspaper and has never been in trouble before,” said White. “All of a sudden, she’s facing three felonies. Had she voted to renew the superintendent’s contract, we would not be here.”

Digmon is prohibited from discussing her case to conditions of her bond.

‘Active participants’

Journalism professors believe Digmon’s role as a newspaper publisher and a local elected official, places her in a difficult situation that can, at the minimum, raise eyebrows over ethics.

“I appreciate that in a small town, it’s often the journalists who are among the elite of the town and who have the most to offer to a small community,” said Chris Roberts, director of the office of research and media integrity at the University of Alabama and a former Birmingham News reporter. “But sometimes journalism and other types of public service become muddled when journalists are not acting independently.”

Roberts, who is also vice-chairman of the Society of Professional Journalist’s Ethics Committee, noted the SBJ’s ethical code includes four standards: Seek the truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, and be accountable and transparent.

He said that whether a publisher – who is not a reporter at most news outlets – perceives his or herself as a journalist creates “perhaps a different conversation.”

But he added, “I have never worked at an organization where someone at the news organization was an elected official. I have no idea what is happening (at The Atmore News), but things get complicated when there is a conflict of interest. The SBJ code recognizes that, and it’s still often advised that journalists don’t’ play roles in things (where) they are active participants.”

Others in the industry also frown on the dual positions working in the media while also serving as an elected official.

“In a small community, the publisher is not just running the news organization, but is also a pillar of the community and it complicates things here,” said Schroeder, who believes Billy, as the District Attorney, cannot penalize Digmon or Fletcher for publishing information even if it’s part of a grand jury procedure.

Robbyn Taylor, director of the school of journalism and communication and an instructor of media law and ethics at Troy University, also believes the publisher and reporter should not be faced with criminal charges for publishing the grand jury information.

But she also believes a distance needs to be in place between the journalists and the public body, even in small towns.

“It’s a small town and we’ve seen scenarios like this before, even if we haven’t read about them in The Washington Post,” said Taylor, referring to the national coverage The Atmore News arrests and indictments have created. “If someone wanted to become an elected official, they probably should consider stepping back from the news operation of things. There has to be a separation.”

‘Transparent firewall’

When similar situations arise, it’s important for publishers and others within a media operation, to disclose a potential conflict of interest, according to the experts.

“Problematic conflicts of interest are common in journalism, especially in media ownership,” said Kelly McBride, chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership at the Poynter Institute. “There are no generic ethical standards in journalism. The standards are held within individual organizations, and that comes with the nature of an unlicensed profession.”

She added, “As an ethics advisor to news organization, I would advise them not to allow owners or publishers or anyone of significant influences in the company to run for public office or hold public office.”

If they do, McBride said, disclosures and transparency are paramount.

“If I had a client who said, ‘I’m in a small county, not a lot of qualified people to run,’ and if that conflict of interest emerges, the second-best choice is create a transparent firewall so that the public can have confidence in the reported product,” McBride said. “You create a statement that says, ‘this person will not influence related content’ and that ‘we will have this respectful journalist who will edit this related content and they have the comply ability to make a decision, and not the publisher.’ You can create that safety net as sort of a next best alternative, get ahead of it and do it before there is a problem.”

In Choctaw County, newspaper owners Dee Ann and Tommy Campbell are also recent elected officials. Dee Ann Campbell has been on the Gilbertown City Council for the past three years, while Tommy Campbell has served less than a year on the Choctaw County School Board.

The couple, who have owned the Choctaw Sun-Advocate for 20 years, say they try to separate their dual roles while publishing content about the elected bodies they serve.

Tommy Campbell said Dee Ann covers the school board meetings. He also said that, unlike Escambia County, the Choctaw County school superintendent is an elected position and not appointed by elected board members.

Dee Ann Campbell said she has tapes of the Gilbertown City Council meetings that back up any coverage that the publication might write on a meeting. She said she also discloses her role on the council.

Campbell said her newspaper does not sell ads to either the school board or the city. She abstains from city council votes on whenever a vote arises for publishing a legal notice in the Choctaw Sun-Advocate.

“The only advertising we run are legal ads, and they are required,” said Tommy Campbell. “Of course, we’re the only newspaper in the county. There is not a conflict there.”

Dee Ann Campbell said she was unaware of the details in the Atmore case but admitted to once feeling uncomfortable about pursuing a public office while operating a small newspaper.

“It really bothered me a few years back,” she said. But why we decided to do this is we had been involved in this town and community for so many years. We understand the problems and issues here and are immersed in the community, and we felt we could be of service. We feel like we are also from a newspaper perspective as well.”

She added, “It seemed like a good fit to make changes in the county.”