Um... congrats?

David Boardman, executive editor and senior vice president of The Seattle Times, has received the Ethics in Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists for the manner in which he and his newsroom handled a controversial situation over political advertisements paid for by their own company.

In the 2012 election campaign, The Seattle Times Co. paid for newspaper ads on behalf of the Republican candidate for governor, Rob McKenna, and in favor of Referendum 74, a ballot measure to legalize same-sex marriage. Executives on the business side of the company, who made the decision to sponsor the ads without involvement from Boardman and the newsroom, described it as an experiment to demonstrate the power of newspaper advertising.

Under Boardman’s direction, The Times’ News Department reported thoroughly and aggressively on the decision, even going so far as to publish a “truth squad” piece pointing the factual errors in the ads."

I'm happy for Boardman and all that, but I just have to point out what an uneven playing field this award is. I mean, I bet you Stranger editor Christopher Frizzelle could win an Ethics in Journalism Award too, if only Stranger publisher Tim Keck would act unethically. Damn you, Tim!