The Boundaries of Conflicting Interests

In Dr. Martin's Public Affairs Reporting class, we have recently been discussing the uncertainty and lack of clarity at times in the boundaries of professional journalism; when conflicting interests can occur if a journalist uses a source with whom they have a pre-existing relationship. I encountered this very issue last week at the University of Georgia H.E.R.O. Date Auction at the Georgia Theater in which I received much feedback about the turnout of the auction, the atmosphere of the night and the success of the organization overall. One University student with which I had a conversation is a friend of mine, who I know well through the sorority in which we are both members. Though multiple sorority and fraternity members were participants in the auction, the event was not sponsered by and did not cater to any particular greek organization. My friend gave me some interesting quotes, many that would have worked well in my article about the event, but I was concerned about crossing the boundary of bias if I were to utilize a source with whom I am previously connected. I decided for this particular article to avoid using her quotes; I was able to acquire many more throughout the night. However I am almost positive this issue will arise again as I am covering the Student Affairs beat.