The New York Times, the L.A. Times, the Washington Post, and N.P.R. are among the organizations that don't permit their reporters from voting for industry awards, such as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, to maintain their independence from the organizations they cover. Receiving an honor like a Rock Hall induction has the ability to "change the trajectory of a performer’s career," so the NY Times takes the stance that "journalists should report the news, not help make it."

From the New York Times policy titled "Ethical Journalism":

This prohibition on taking part in sponsored competitions applies to film festivals or awards in which critics are asked to vote and to such competitions as the Tony Awards, the Heisman Trophy, most valuable player and rookie of the year honors and admission to sports halls of fame. Cooperation of this sort puts the paper’s independence into question.

From the L.A. Times Ethics Guidelines:

The Times, like many other news organizations, does not allow its sportswriters to participate in voting for baseball’s Hall of Fame, college football’s Heisman Trophy and national rankings in college sports, among other areas. Participation in these polls creates possibilities for conflicts of interest. Similar issues arise in the arts when journalists are invited to vote for awards and prizes in film, literature and other fields.

In general, it is inappropriate for reporters to vote for awards and rankings; doing so could reasonably be seen as compromising their objectivity. For critics, whose job is to express opinions on the merits of creative works, awards voting is less troublesome.

Nevertheless, any staff member invited to vote for an award must first receive the permission of the editor or managing editor. This pertains as well to anyone asked to serve as a contest juror or to vote on an award that honors journalism. No staff member who votes for an award — whether in sports, the arts or any other area — may be part of The Times’ news coverage of that award.

Is being among 1000+ voters for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame enough of an honor to sanitize anyone's coverage of the institution? Probably not. How about being one of 30 people on the Nominating Committee? Of course it does.

At a minimum those who participate in the Rock Hall induction process should disclose that fact every time they write about or discuss the Hall of Fame. The Rock Hall itself has never cared about conflicts of interest in their induction process which is why it is critical to have voices who maintain journalistic independence.

For contrast, Rolling Stone has done some admirable reporting about the many controversies at the Grammys the last couple of years, but they have never written critically about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as an institution despite its many similar flaws. The Rock Hall, of course, was led for a long time by Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner, so the direct ties between the magazine and institution were never exactly a secret, but it's a significant loss when one of the few music journalism outlets still won't objectively cover a major music institution.

Future Rock Legends has provided independent coverage of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since 2006 and does not receive an official ballot.