At a recent public hearing on the proposed Chihuly glass art museum on Seattle Center grounds, two journalists spoke out against the idea.

The first, Stranger reporter Cienna Madrid, stated the newspaper’s position against the museum and asked why it needed to be on public land.

Another journalist, Crosscut editor and publisher David Brewster, spoke against the museum proposal on behalf of a nonprofit group he helped found four years ago. Friends of the Green at Seattle Center, which has no connection to Crosscut, has been advocating for open space at the Center.

Madrid and Brewster approached the hearing in different ways. Madrid and The Stranger don’t claim to be objective, and The Stranger regularly assumes a viewpoint in public debates. Brewster, on the other hand, sees Crosscut as an outlet for diverse and competing viewpoints, and separates his role at the newspaper from his position with Friends of the Green.

The appearance of both Madrid and Brewster at the hearing raises questions of the roles journalists should take in public matters.  Journalists and news outlets increasingly embrace advocacy reporting. News anchors cover stories they are personally invested in, such as Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly campaigning for children who are the victims of sex abuse and local radio talk show host John Carlson promoting the “Three Strikes, You’re Out” initiative. Mainstream daily newspapers, including Seattlepi.com, link to opinionated blogs.

Stranger editor Christopher Frizzelle said his paper does advocacy journalism. The Stranger’s position against the Chihuly museum proposal is well known, he said. Madrid identified herself as a reporter at the hearing and did not attempt to hide the paper’s view.

Brewster, on the other hand, acknowledged that his situation proved a bit awkward. Crosscut does not want to practice advocacy journalism, Brewster said. He formed Friends of the Green before starting Crosscut, and tries to keep his involvement in the two groups separate.

“My view on the Seattle Center is my view, and not Crosscut’s view,” Brewster said.

To remove himself from editorial decisions regarding the Chihuly debate at Crosscut, Brewster passed on the job of editing Chihuly-Seattle Center related stories to fellow Crosscut editor Joe Copeland. While Crosscut writers often take positions and analyze news topics, the site tries to run viewpoints from all sides, Brewster said. He believes they’ve done so with the Chihuly museum.

What do you think? Is it possible for journalists to distance themselves from their reporting jobs? Should they express their own personal opinions at public hearings?