Fostoria’s Conflict of Interest with Scanner Media Continues to Draw Ethical Concerns

FOSTORIA, OH | The City of Fostoria’s partnership with Scanner Media has sparked concerns over transparency and ethical governance. Scanner Media, a local news outlet with a following of over 40,000, has been given a unique role in city council meetings, handling video and audio recordings while also taking photographs. However, this arrangement raises red flags about conflicts of interest and the integrity of public access to information.

Scanner Media operates under an undocumented agreement with the city, functioning in a role akin to a public relations officer while simultaneously acting as a news outlet. This dual role creates a conflict: as a media entity, Scanner Media should independently report on city activities, but its close relationship with the council allows the city to control what information is shared. This setup undermines the principles of transparency and accountability that are essential for ethical governance. Public records and proceedings should be documented and disseminated by impartial city staff, not filtered through a media outlet with potential biases or incentives to align with city interests.

The Fostoria Free Press has highlighted this issue several times, noting that Scanner Media’s involvement risks eroding public trust. Ethical behavior in municipal governance demands clear boundaries between government operations and media entities to ensure unfiltered access to information. The current arrangement in Fostoria deviates from this standard, setting a troubling precedent for how city proceedings are communicated to the public.