RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES
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American Society of Newspaper Editors
Statement
of Principles
P
REAMBLE. The First Amendment, protecting freedom of expression from abridgment by any law, guarantees to the people through their press a constitutional
right, and thereby places on newspaper people a particular responsibility. Thus
journalism demands of its practitioners not only industry and knowledge but
also the pursuit of a standard of integrity proportionate to the journalist's
singular obligation. To this end the American Society of Newspaper Editors sets
forth this Statement of Principles as a standard encouraging the highest ethical and professional performance.
ARTICLE I - Responsibility.
The primary purpose of gathering and distributing news and opinion is to serve the general
welfare by informing the people and enabling them to make judgments on the issues of the
time.
Newspapermen and women who abuse the power of their professional role for selfish
motives or unworthy purposes are faithless to that public trust. The American press was
made free not just to inform or just to serve as a forum for debate but also to bring an
independent scrutiny to bear on the forces of power in the society, including the conduct
of official power at all levels of government.
ARTICLE II - Freedom of the Press.
Freedom of the press belongs to the people. It must be defended against encroachment or
assault from any quarter, public or private. Journalists must be constantly alert to see that
the public's business is conducted in public. They must be vigilant against all who would
exploit the press for selfish purposes.
ARTICLE III - Independence.
Journalists must avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety as well as any conflict of interest or the appearance of conflict. They should neither accept anything nor
pursue any activity that mightcompromise or seem to compromise their integrity.
ARTICLE IV - Truth and Accuracy.
Good faith with the reader is the foundation of good journalism. Every effort must be made
to assure that the news content is accurate, free from bias and in context, and that all sides
are presented fairly. Editorials, analytical articles and commentary should be held to the
same standards of accuracy with respect to facts as news reports. Significant errors of fact,
as well as errors of omission, should be corrected promptly and prominently.
ARTICLE V - Impartiality.
To be impartial does not require the press to be unquestioning or to refrain from editorial
expression. Sound practice, however, demands a clear distinction for the reader between
news reports and opinion. Articles that contain opinion or personal interpretation should
be clearly identified.
ARTICLE VI - Fair Play.
Journalists should respect the rights of people involved in the news, observe the common
standards of decency and stand accountable to the public for the fairness and accuracy of
their news reports. Persons publicly accused should be given the earliest opportunity to
respond. Pledges of confidentiality to news sources must be honored at all costs, and
therefore should not be given lightly. Unless there is clear and pressing need to maintain
confidences, sources of information should be identified.
These principles are intended to preserve, protect and strengthen the bond of trust and
respect between American journalists and the American people, a bond that is essential to
sustain the grant of freedom entrusted to both by the nation's founders.
ASNE's
Statement of
Principles
was
originally
adopted in
1922 as the
"Canons of
Journalism."
The
document
was revised
and renamed
"Statement of
Principles"
in 1975.
RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES
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humor triangle
Rule of thumb: Know what your humor is about, who you are telling it to, and why.
Joe Fenbert
spent several
years
researching
humor and
separating it
into levels.
Originally
developed to
assess the
appropriateness of
assembly
skits planned
by student
government
leaders, it
also provides
a method for
student
editors and
journalists to
determine the
suitability of
humor
columns for
print.
W
hen writing a humor column for print, consider two things:
your audience and your comic ability. If you are among
family and friends or you have the sophistication of a
social satirist, you can probably joke about topics at the
top of the pyramid and not offend. Most writers should
stay in the safe zone—the bottom two levels of the pyramid. In the middle of the pyramid are topics that, when presented at the
comic level to a target audience, can be humorous without offending. Since
the school audience is broad in scope, however, this is risky.
Level 1 SOCIAL SATIRIST—Appropriate only for family and friends. These
are fighting words—emotionally charged topics that fuel hate
and cause violence and/or death.
Level 2 COMIC LEVEL—Appropriate only for a target audience. These are
meddling -in-other-people’s-business words. Depending upon who,
what, when, where, why, and how, these topics can be emotionally charged.
Level 3 CARTOON LEVEL—Appropriate for a broad audience. Fair game is human nature and everyday events. Highlighting the characteristics
we all share is fair game.
Level 4 CARTOON LEVEL—Appropriate for a broad
•Sex
•Race
audience. When you poke fun at yourself
•Religion
or are just being silly for the sake of Narrow Audience •Personal
Attributes
silliness, you don’t have to worry about
offending others because you have
no targets.
Social Satirist
Offense hazard: HIGH
Target
Audience
•Male/female relationships, roles
•Drugs and alcohol •Politics
•Professions • Tragic Events •Violence • Toilet
Humor
Comic Level
Offense hazard: MEDIUM
•Human Nature
•Everyday Events
Broad
Audience
Offense hazard: SLIGHT
•Silliness
•Self-deprecating humor
Offense hazard: HIDDEN
PRE-PERFORMANCE HUMOR CHECKLIST
1. WHO are the actual or symbolic targets of your humor?
Are these truly things to laugh at in your setting?
2. WHAT is the rating of your humor? (G? PG-13? R? M?) Is
the rating appropriate for the setting and audience?
3. Does humor perpetuate hurtful stereotypes regarding
race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation,
disability, or socio-economic condition?
Cartoon Level
RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES
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National Press Photographers Association
Code
of Ethics
T
he National Press Photographers Association, a professional society
dedicated to the advancement of photojournalism, acknowledges con
cern and respect for the public’s natural-law, right to freedom in
searching for the truth and the right to be informed truthfully and
completely about public events and the world in which we live. NPPA
believes that no report can be complete if it is possible to enhance
and clarify the meaning of the words. We believe that pictures, whether used
to depict news events as they actually happen, illustrate news that has happened, or to help explain anything of public interest, are indispensable means
of keeping people accurately informed, that they help
all people, young and old,
to better understand any
subject in the public domain. NPPA recognizes and
acknowledges that photojournalists should at all
times maintain the highest
standards of ethical conduct
in serving the public interest.
CODE OF ETHICS
1. The practice of photojournalism, both as a science and art, is
worthy of the very best thought and
effort of those who enter into it as
a profession.
2. Photojournalism affords an opportunity to serve the public that is equaled by
few other vocations and all members of the profession should strive by example and
influence to maintain high standards of ethical conduct
free of mercenary considerations of any kind.
3. It is the individual responsibility of every photojournalist all times to strive for pictures that report truthfully, honestly and objectively.
4. As journalists, we believe that credibility is our
greatest asset. In documentary photojournalism, it is
wrong to alter the content of a photograph in any way
(electronically or in the darkroom) that deceives the
public. We believe the guidelines for fair and accurate
reporting should be the criteria for judging what may be
done electronically to a photograph.
5. Business promotion in its many forms is essential
but untrue statements of any nature are not worthy of a
professional photojournalist and we severely condemn
any such practice.
6. It is our duty to encourage and assist all members of our profession,
individually and collectively, so that the quality of photojournalism may constantly be raised to higher standards.
7. It is the duty of every photojournalist to work to preserve all freedomof-the-press rights recognized by law and to work to protect and expand
freedom-of-access to all sources of news and visual information.
8. Our standards of business dealings, ambitions and relations shall have
in them a note of sympathy for our common humanity and shall always require us to take into consideration our highest duties as members of society.
In every situation in our business life, in every responsibility that comes
before us, our chief thought shall be to fulfill that responsibility and discharge that duty so that when each of us is finished we shall have endeavored to lift the level of human ideals and achievement higher that we found
it.
9. No Code of Ethics can prejudge every situation, thus common sense
and good judgment are required in applying ethical principles.
Photos are
from the
1999 Picture
Of the Year
contest
sponsored by
the
University of
Missouri and
the National
Press
Photographers
Association.
To see all the
winners, visit
www.poy.org
RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES
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Society of Professional Journalists
Code of Ethics
PREAMBLE
Members of the Society of Professional Journalists
believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy.
The duty of the journalist is to further those ends
by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties
strive to serve the public with thoroughness and
honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone
of a journalist's credibility. Members of the Society
share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt
this code to declare the Society's principles and
standards of practice.
SEEK TRUTH AND REPORT IT
Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting
information.
Journalists should:
왘 Test the accuracy of information from all sources
and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error.
Deliberate distortion is never permissible.
왘 Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to
give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.
왘 Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is
entitled to as much information as possible on
sources' reliability.
왘 Always question sources’ motives before promising anonymity. Clarify conditions attached to
any promise made in exchange for information.
Keep promises.
왘 Make certain that headlines, news teases and
promotional material, photos, video, audio,
graphics, sound bites and quotations do not
misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or
highlight incidents out of context.
왘 Never distort the content of news photos or
video. Image enhancement for technical clarity
is always permissible. Label montages and photo
illustrations.
왘 Avoid misleading re-enactments or staged news
events. If re-enactment is necessary to tell a
story, label it.
왘 Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods
of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information
vital to the public. Use of such methods should
be explained as part of the story
왘 Never plagiarize.
왘 Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of
the human experience boldly, even when it is
unpopular to do so.
왘 Examine their own cultural values and avoid
imposing those values on others.
왘 Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation,
disability, physical appearance or social status.
왘 Support the open exchange of views, even views
they find repugnant.
왘 Give voice to the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information can be equally valid.
왘 Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled
and not misrepresent fact or context.
왘 Distinguish news from advertising and shun
hybrids that blur the lines between the two.
왘 Recognize a special obligation to ensure that
the public's business is conducted in the open
and that government records are open to inspection.
MINIMIZE HARM
Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and
colleagues as human beings deserving of respect.
Journalists should:
왘 Show compassion for those who may be affected
adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects.
왘 Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or
photographs of those affected by tragedy or
grief.
왘 Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of
the news is not a license for arrogance.
왘 Recognize that private people have a greater
right to control information about themselves
than do public officials and others who seek
power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into
anyone’s privacy.
왘 Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid
curiosity.
왘 Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects
or victims of sex crimes.
왘 Be judicious about naming criminal suspects
before the formal filing of charges.
왘 Balance a criminal suspect’s fair trial rights with
the public’s right to be informed.
ACT INDEPENDENTLY
Journalists should be free of obligation to any
interest other than the public's right to know.
Journalists should:
왘 Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
왘 Remain free of associations and activities that
may compromise integrity or damage credibility.
왘 Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special
treatment, and shun secondary employment,
political involvement, public office and service
in community organizations if they compromise
journalistic integrity.
왘 Disclose unavoidable conflicts.
왘 Be vigilant and courageous about holding those
with power accountable.
왘 Deny favored treatment to advertisers and
special interests and resist their pressure to
influence news coverage.
왘 Be wary of sources offering information for
favors or money; avoid bidding for news.
BE ACCOUNTABLE
Journalists are accountable to their readers,
listeners, viewers and each other.
Journalists should:
왘 Clarify and explain news coverage and invite
dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct.
왘 Encourage the public to voice grievances against
the news media.
왘 Admit mistakes and correct them promptly.
왘 Expose unethical practices of journalists and the
news media.
왘 Abide by the same high standards to which they
hold others.
Sigma Delta
Chi’s first Code
of Ethics was
borrowed from
the American
Society of
Newspaper
Editors in
1926. In 1973,
Sigma Delta Chi
wrote its own
code, which
was revised in
1984 and
1987. The
present version
of the Society
of Professional
Journalists’
Code of Ethics
was adopted in
September
1996.
RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES
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Radio-Television News Directors Association
Code of Ethics &
Professional Conduct
The Radio-Television News Directors Association, wishing to foster the highest professional standards of electronic journalism,
promote public understanding of and confidence in electronic journalism, and
strengthen principles of journalistic freedom
to gather and disseminate information,
establishes this Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
PREAMBLE Professional electronic journalists should operate as trustees of the
public, seek the truth, report it fairly and
with integrity and independence, and
stand accountable for their actions.
compassion to victims of crime or tragedy.
•Exercise special care when children are
involved in a story and give children
greater privacy protection than adults.
•Seek to understand the diversity of their
community and inform the public without
bias or stereotype.
•Present a diversity of expressions, opinions,
and ideas in context.
•Present analytical reporting based on
professional perspective, not personal
bias.
•Respect the right to a fair trial.
INTEGRITY: Professional electronic journalists should present the news with
integrity and decency, avoiding real or
PUBLIC TRUST: Professional electronic
journalists should recognize that their first perceived conflicts of interest, and respect
the dignity and intelligence of the audiobligation is to the public.
ence as well as the subjects of news.
Professional electronic journalists should:
•Understand that any commitment other
than service to the public undermines
trust and credibility.
•Recognize that service in the public interest creates and obligation to reflect the
diversity of the community and guard
against oversimplification of issues and
events.
•Provide a full range of information to
enable the public to make enlightened
decisions.
•Fight to ensure that the public's business is
conducted in public.
TRUTH: Professional electronic journalists
should pursue truth aggressively and
present the news accurately, in context,
and as completely as possible.
Professional electronic journalists should:
•Continuously seek the truth.
•Resist distortions that obscure the importance of events.
•Clearly disclose the origin of information
and label all material provided by outsiders.
Professional electronic journalists should
not:
•Report anything known to be false.
•Manipulate images or sounds in any way
that is misleading.
•Plagiarize.
•Present images or sounds that are reenacted without informing the public.
FAIRNESS: Professional electronic journalists should present the news fairly and
impartially, placing primary value on
significance and relevance.
Professional electronic journalists should:
•Treat all subjects of news coverage with
respect and dignity, showing particular
Professional electronic journalists should:
•Identify sources whenever possible. Confidential sources should be used only when
it is clearly in the public interest to
gather or convey important information or
when a person providing information
might be harmed.
•Journalists should keep all commitments to
protect a confidential source.
•Clearly label opinion and commentary.
•Guard against extended coverage of events
or individuals that fails to significantly
advance a story, place the event in context, or add to the public knowledge.
•Refrain from contacting participants in
violent situations while the situation is in
progress.
•Use technological tools with skill and
thoughtfulness, avoiding techniques that
skew facts, distort reality, or sensationalize events.
•Use surreptitious newsgathering techniques, including hidden cameras or
microphones, only if there is no other way
to obtain stories of significant public
importance and only if the technique is
explained to the audience.
•Disseminate the private transmissions of
other news organizations only with permission.
Professional electronic journalists should
not:
•Pay news sources who have a vested interest in a story.
•Accept gifts, favors, or compensation from
those who might seek to influence coverage.
•Engage in activities that may compromise
their integrity or independence.
INDEPENDENCE: Professional electronic
journalists should defend the independence of all journalists from those seeking
influence or control over news content.
Professional electronic journalists should:
•Gather and report news without fear or
favor, and vigorously resist undue influence from any outside forces, including
advertisers, sources, story subjects,
powerful individuals, and special interest
groups.
•Resist those who would seek to buy or
politically influence news content or who
would seek to intimidate those who
gather and disseminate the news.
•Determine news content solely through
editorial judgment and not as the result of
outside influence.
•Resist any self-interest or peer pressure
that might erode journalistic duty and
service to the public.
•Recognize that sponsorship of the news will
not be used in any way to determine,
restrict, or manipulate content.
•Refuse to allow the interests of ownership
or management to influence news judgment or content inappropriately.
•Defend the rights of the free press for all
journalists, recognizing that any professional or government licensing of journalists is a violation of that freedom.
ACCOUNTABILITY: Professional electronic
journalists should recognize that they are
accountable for their actions to the public, the profession and themselves.
Professional electronic journalists should:
•Actively encourage adherence to these
standards by all journalists and their
employers.
•Respond to public concerns, investigate
complaints and correct errors promptly
and with as much prominence as the
original report.
•Explain journalistic processes to the public,
especially when practices spark questions
or controversy.
•Recognize that professional electronic
journalists are duty-bound to conduct
themselves ethically.
•Refrain from ordering or encouraging
courses of action which would force
employees to commit an unethical act.
•Carefully listen to employees who raise
ethical objections, and create environments in which such objections and
discussions are encouraged.
•Seek support for an provide opportunities
to train employees in ethical decisionmaking.
In meeting its responsibility to the profession of electronic journalism, RTNDA has
created this code to identify important
issue, to serve as a guide for its members, to
facilitate self-scrutiny, and to shape future
debate.
adopted September 14, 2000
RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES
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Interscholastic League Press Conference
Ethics
and Motivation
BY BOBBY HAWTHORNE
Director, Interscholastic League Press Confernce
Ethics and motivation
• Why did you choose to write about this story? Why did you choose
this topic? Is this issue of local relevance and importance?
• Have you been fair in your selection of sources?
• Have you interviewed persons who are close to the story? Do all
quotes come from knowledgeable sources?
• Have you been open and honest in your pursuit of information?
• Have you quoted your sources fairly and in context?
• What is likely to be impact of the story on your readers?
• To what extent does this story serve the best interests of your readers?
• Who if anyone is likely to complain about or resent this story? If so,
for what reason?
• Are you more interested in your right to publish or your reader’s
right to know?
RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES
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The Academy Times, Tacoma, WA
The Potter Box
THE POTTER BOX
The Potter Box is one of many approaches that
can help journalists make ethical decisions in
life. Developed by Harvard theologian Dr. Ralph
Potter, the model demonstrates the complex relationship between how facts, values, societal
principles, and conflicting loyalties often compete in the decision-making process. To begin,
pose the dilemma or problem as a question. Then
consider each of the four aspects of the Potter
Box separately and together. Remember to consider as many points of view as possible within
each box. As a critical thinking tool, the Potter
Box model allows us to:
Think about an
ethical issue you
have been
confronted with in
your life. Make a
list of the fact of
the case, your
values at the time,
and the conflicting
loyalties. Now
consider a global
principle against
your emotions and
the facts. Does
thinking about the
facts, values,
principles, and
loyalties help you
evaluate your
decision-making
process?
PRINCIPLES
FACTS
What is the ethical question posed
by the situation?
What are all the principles you can
apply to the situation?
DECISION
VALUES
LOYALTIES
What are values that come into play?
Who will be affected by our decision
and to whom must we remain loyal?
1. Review the FACTS:
쮿 List verifiable facts relevant to ethical
dilemma or problem.
쮿 Who, What, When, Where, Why, How.
2. Reflect upon VALUES:
쮿 Human: love, compassion, humaneness, fairness, equality, diversity, and the freedom to worship, speak, write, assemble, and
petition government
쮿 Journalistic: provide information, help readers make decisions,
make sense of a complicated world, assure all are treated fairly,
enrich people’s lives, and help bring buyers and sellers together.
쮿 Religious
쮿 Civic
3. Examine PRINCIPLES:
쮿 Journalistic: truth, justice, freedom, compassion, stewardship.
쮿 Professional codes of ethics: SPJ, NPPA, ASNE.
쮿 Categorical Imperative: “Right is right, no exceptions.”
쮿 Utilitarianism: “The greatest good for the greatest number of
people.”
쮿 Hedonism: “Maximize pleasures now and don’t worry about the
future.”
쮿 Golden Mean: “Find the middle ground.”
쮿 Veil of Ignorance: “Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.”
쮿 Golden Rule: “Love your neighbors as yourself.”
4. Explore the LOYALTIES at stake from all sides of the issue:
쮿 Readers
쮿 Citizens
쮿 Businesses
쮿 Advertisers
쮿 Shareholders
쮿 Leaders of civic, religious, business, government organizations
For a more
thorough
discussion of this
issue, read
professor Paul
Martin Lester’s
paper on “Finding
a Philosophical
Perspective” at
http://
commfaculty.
fullerton.edu/
lester/writings/
chapter3.html
RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES
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The Poynter Institute
Questions That Lead
To Ethical Decisions
Information
in this section
was
developed by
The Poynter
Institute in
St.
Petersburg,
Florida; and
by the Society
of
Professional
Journalists.
ASK THESE 10 QUESTIONS TO MAKE GOOD ETHICAL
DECISIONS:
1. What do I know? What do I need to know?
2. What is my journalistic purpose?
3. What are my ethical concerns?
4. What organizational policies and professional guidelines should I consider?
5. How can I include other people, with different perspectives and diverse ideas, in the decision-making process?
6. Who are the stakeholders—those affected by my
decision? What are their motivations? Which are
legitimate?
7. What if the roles were reversed? How would I feel if
I were in the shoes of one of the stakeholders?
8. What are the possible consequences of my actions?
Short term? Long term
9. What are my alternatives to maximize my truthtelling responsibility and minimize harm?
10. Can I clearly and fully justify my thinking and my
decision? To my colleagues? To stakeholders? To
the public?
LISTEN TO YOUR GUT,
BUT DON’T ALWAYS TRUST IT.
쮿
쮿
쮿
쮿
쮿
쮿
쮿
Your gut reaction is emotional and rigid. Not much
better is obeying the rules without thought. Ideally, build time into the decision-making process for
reflection and reasoning:
Reflection and reasoning:
•Collaboration is essential.
•Really listen to the views of others and challenge your own view.
•Ask good questions to clarify the problem.
•Avoid polarized either/or thinking.
•See a range of alternative actions.
•Consider the consequences of various actions.
•Make the time to make a “good” ethical decision.
•Justify “why” you do something.
Rule obedience:
•The rule may be a good one but it doesn’t apply
well to the situation at hand.
•Tendency for meaningful decision-making to
stop.
•Fails to consider that you may be choosing between the “lesser of two evils.”
Gut reaction:
•Strong, visceral response often dominated by
emotion.
•Lots of talking going on, but not much listening.
•Trap ourselves in an initial position that we defend to the hilt.
•See things too black and white, avoiding or ignoring the grays.
•See choice as either/or, right/wrong.
쮿
쮿
쮿
쮿
쮿
PRIVACY
Journalists should ask themselves some important
questions as they balance the public need to know
with an individual’s right to privacy.
What is my journalistic purpose in seeking this information? In reporting it?
Does the public have a justifiable need to know? Or
is this matter just one in which some want to know?
How much protection does this person deserve? Is
this person a pubic official, pubic figure, or celebrity? Is this person involved in the news event by
choice or by chance?
What is the nature of harm I might cause by intruding on someone’s privacy?
Can I cause considerable harm to someone just by
asking questions, observing activity, or obtaining
information even if I never actually report the story?
How can I better understand this person’s vulnerability and desire for privacy? Can I make a better
decision by talking with this person?
What alternative approaches can I take in my reporting and my storytelling to minimize the harm
of privacy invasion while still fulfilling my journalistic duty to inform the public? Can I leave out
some “private” matters while still acdureately and
fairly reporting the story? Or can I focus more on a
system failure issue rather than reporting intensely
on one individual?
RACIAL IDENTIFICATION GUIDELINES
Flag every racial reference and ask these questions:
Is it relevant? Race is relevant when the story is
about race. Jusst because people in conflict are of
different races does not mean that race is the source
of their dispute. A story about interracial dating,
however, is a story about race.
Have I explained the relevance? Journalists too
frequently assume that readers will knwo the significance of race in stories. The results is often
radically different interpretations. This is imprecise
journalism, and its harm may be mangified by the
lens of race.
Is it free of codes? Be careful not to use welfare,
inner-city, underprivileged, blue collar, conservative, suburban, exotic, middle-class, Uptown, South
Side, or wealthy as euphemisms for racial groups.
By definition, the White House is in the inner-city.
Say what you mean.
Are racial identifiers used evently? If the race of
a person chrging discrimination is important, then
so is the race of the person being charged.
Should I consult someone of another race/ethnicity? Consider another question: Do I have expertise on other races/cultures? If not, broaden
your perspctive by asking someone who knows
something more about your subject. Why should
we treat reporting on racial issues any differently
from reporting on an area of science or religion
that we do not know well?
RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES
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Associated Press Managing Editors
Code
of Ethics
These principles are a model against which
news and editorial staff members can measure their
performance. They have been formulated in the
belief that newspapers and the people who produce them should adhere to the highest standards
of ethical and professional conduct.
The public's right to know about matters of
importance is paramount. The newspaper has a
special responsibility as surrogate of its readers to
be a vigilant watchdog of their legitimate public
interests.
No statement of principles can prescribe
decisions governing every situation. Common
sense and good judgment are required in applying
ethical principles to newspaper realities. As new
technologies evolve, these principles can help
guide editors to insure the credibility of the news
and information they provide. Individual newspapers are encouraged to augment these APME
guidelines more specifically to their own situations.
RESPONSIBILITY
The good newspaper is fair, accurate, honest,
responsible, independent and decent.
Truth is its guiding principle.
It avoids practices that would conflict with the
ability to report and present news in a fair, accurate and unbiased manner.
The newspaper should serve as a constructive
critic of all segments of society. It should reasonably reflect, in staffing and coverage, its diverse
constituencies. It should vigorously expose wrongdoing, duplicity or misuse of power, public or
private. Editorially, it should advocate needed
reform and innovation in the public interest. News
sources should be disclosed unless there is a clear
reason not to do so. When it is necessary to
protect the confidentiality of a source, the reason
should be explained.
The newspaper should uphold the right of free
speech and freedom of the press and should
respect the individual's right to privacy. The newspaper should fight vigorously for public access to
news of government through open meetings and
records. \
ACCURACY
The newspaper should guard against inaccuracies, carelessness, bias or distortion through
emphasis, omission or technological manipulation.
It should acknowledge substantive errors and
correct them promptly and prominently.
INTEGRITY
The newspaper should strive for impartial
treatment of issues and dispassionate handling of
controversial subjects. It should provide a forum
for the exchange of comment and criticism, especially when such comment is opposed to its editorial positions. Editorials and expressions of personal opinion by reporters and editors should be
clearly labeled. Advertising should be differentiated from news.
The newspaper should report the news laws
without regard for its own interests, mindful of the
need to disclose potential conflicts. It should not
give favored news treatment to advertisers or
special-interest groups.
It should report matters regarding itself or its
personnel with the same vigor and candor as it
would other institutions or individuals. Concern
for community, business or personal interests
should not cause the newspaper to distort or
misrepresent the facts.
The newspaper should deal honestly with
readers and newsmakers. It should keep its promises. The newspaper should not plagiarize words
or images.
INDEPENDENCE
The newspaper and its staff should be free of
obligations to news sources and newsmakers. Even
the appearance of obligation or conflict of interest
should be avoided.
Newspapers should accept nothing of value
from news sources or others outside the profession. Gifts and free or reduced-rate travel, entertainment, products and lodging should not be
accepted. Expenses in connection with news
reporting should be paid by the newspaper. Special
favors and special treatment for members of the
press should be avoided.
Journalists are encouraged to be involved in
their communities, to the extent that such activities
do not create conflicts of interest. Involvement in
politics, demonstrations and social causes that
would cause a conflict of interest, or the appearance of such conflict, should be avoided.
Work by staff members for the people or
institutions they cover also should be avoided.
Financial investments by staff members or
other outside business interests that could create
the impression of a conflict of interest should be
avoided.
Stories should not be written or edited primarily for the purpose of winning awards and prizes.
Self-serving journalism contests and awards that
reflect unfavorably on the newspaper or the profession should be avoided.
Revised and Adopted 1995
RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES
............................................................................................................................................................
Salem Statesman-Journal
Thou shalt not:
1. Make up sources or quotes. This includes
"composite" sources.
2. Deliberately distort the truth.
3. Take bribes. This means accepting cash in any
amount, trips or substantial gifts in exchange
for doing our jobs. The IRS gift standard ($25
value) is the outside limit on what would be
considered a "substantial gift."
4. Plagiarize from sources outside the newspaper.
If you have any doubt, attribute or discuss it
with your editor.
5. Alter the content of news photos through
technological or other means. Photoillustrations are acceptable, but should be
clearly labeled.
6. Use our standing with the newspaper for
personal financial gain or special treatment.
7. Pay sources for news stories.
8. Stage or re-create news events for
photographs.
9. Physically or verbally abuse a source, reader
or colleague.
RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES
............................................................................................................................................................
The New York Times
Guidelines
on Our Integrity
Reporters, editors, photographers and all
members of the news staff of The New York
Times share a common and essential interest
in protecting the integrity of the newspaper. As
the news, editorial and business leadership of
the newspaper declared jointly in 1998: "Our
greatest strength is the authority and reputation of The Times. We must do nothing that
would undermine or dilute it and everything
possible to enhance it."
At a time of growing and even justified public suspicion about the impartiality, accuracy
and integrity of some journalists and some journalism, it is imperative that The Times and its
staff maintain the highest possible standards
to insure that we do nothing that might erode
readers' faith and confidence in our news columns. This means that staff members should
be vigilant in avoiding any activity that might
pose an actual or apparent conflict of interest
and thus threaten the newspaper's ethical
standing. And it also means that the journalism we practice daily must be beyond reproach.
No one needs to be reminded that falsifying
any part of a news report cannot be tolerated
and will result automatically in disciplinary action up to and including termination. But in a
climate of increased scrutiny throughout the
news business, these further guidelines are offered, to resolve questions that sometimes arise
about specific practices:
Quotations. Readers should be able to assume that every word between quotation marks
is what the speaker or writer said. The Times
does not "clean up" quotations. If a subject's
grammar or taste is unsuitable, quotation marks
should be removed and the awkward passage
paraphrased. Unless the writer has detailed
notes or a recording, it is usually wise to paraphrase long comments, since they may turn up
worded differently on television or in other publications. "Approximate" quotations can undermine readers' trust in The Times.
The writer should, of course, omit extraneous syllables like "um" and may judiciously
delete false starts. If any further omission is
necessary, close the quotation, insert new attribution and begin another quotation. (The
Times does adjust spelling, punctuation, capitalization and abbreviations within a quotation
for consistent style.) Detailed guidance is in the
stylebook entry headed "quotations." In every
case, writer and editor must both be satisfied
that the intent of the subject has been preserved.
Other People's Reporting. When we use
facts gathered by any other organization, we attribute them. This policy applies to material from
newspapers, magazines, books and broadcasts,
as well as news agencies like The Associated
Press (for example, "the Senator told The Associated Press"). In other words, even though The
AP is a co-op and we are members, we do not
treat its reporting as our own. When writing from
a pool report, if we have not witnessed the
events, we attribute them to the pool reporter.
In a roundup, we may use a phrase like "reports from news agencies and New York Times
bureaus."
Our preference, when time and distance
permit, is to do our own reporting and verify
another organization's story; in that case, we
need not attribute the facts. But even then, as
a matter of courtesy and candor, we credit an
exclusive to the organization that first broke the
news.
Attribution to another publication, though,
cannot serve as license to print rumors that
would not meet the test of The Times's own re-
porting standards. Rumors must satisfy The
Times's standard of newsworthiness, taste and
plausibility before publication, even when attributed. And when the need arises to attribute,
that is a good cue to consult with the department head about whether publication is warranted at all.
In those cases when it makes a difference
whether we directly witnessed a scene, we
should distinguish in print between personal
interviews and telephone or E-mail interviews,
as well as written statements.
Fact Checking. Writers at The Times are
their own principal fact checkers and often their
only ones. (Magazine articles, especially those
by nonmembers of our staff, are fact-checked,
but even magazine writers are accountable in
the first instance for their own accuracy.) Concrete facts – distances, addresses, phone numbers, people's titles – must be verified by the
writer with standard references like telephone
books, city or legislative directories and official
Web sites. More obscure checks may be referred
to the research desk. If deadline pressure requires skipping a check, the editors should be
alerted with a flag like "desk, please verify," but
ideally the writer should double back for the
check after filing; usually the desk can accommodate a last-minute repair. It is especially important that writers verify the spelling of names,
by asking. A person who sees his or her own
name misspelled in The Times is likely to mistrust whatever else we print. And too often, our
correction column makes it clear that someone
has guessed a spelling by the sound.
Corrections. Because our voice is loud and
far-reaching, The Times recognizes an ethical
responsibility to correct all its factual errors,
large and small. The paper regrets every error,
but it applauds the integrity of a writer who
volunteers a correction of his or her own published story. Whatever the origin, though, any
complaint should be relayed to a responsible
supervising editor and investigated quickly. If a
correction is warranted, fairness demands that
it be published immediately. In case of reasonable doubt or disagreement about the facts, we
can acknowledge that a statement was "imprecise" or "incomplete" even if we are not sure it
was wrong.
Rebuttals. Few writers need to be reminded that we seek and publish a response from
anyone criticized in our pages. But when the
criticism is serious, we have a special obligation to describe the scope of the accusation and
let the subject respond in detail. No subject
should be taken by surprise when the paper
appears, or feel that there was no chance to
respond.
Anonymity and Its Devices. The use of unidentified sources is reserved for situations in
which the newspaper could not otherwise print
information it considers newsworthy and reliable. When possible, reporter and editor should
discuss any promise of anonymity before it is
made, or before the reporting begins on a story
that may result in such a commitment. (Some
beats, like criminal justice or national security,
may carry standing authorization for the reporter to grant anonymity.) The stylebook discusses the forms of attribution for such cases: the
general rule is to tell readers as much as we
can about the placement and known motivation of the source. While we avoid automatic
phrases about a source's having "insisted on
anonymity," we should try to state tersely what
kind of understanding was actually reached by
reporter and source, especially when we can
shed light on the source's reasons. The Times
does not dissemble about its sources – does not,
for example, refer to a single person as "sources" and does not say "other officials" when quoting someone who has already been cited by
name. There can be no prescribed formula for
such attribution, but it should be literally truthful, and not coy.
Fictional Devices. No reader should find
cause to suspect that the paper would knowingly alter facts. For that reason, The Times
refrains outright from assigning fictional names,
ages, places or dates, and it strictly limits the
use of other concealment devices.
If compassion or the unavoidable conditions
of reporting require shielding an identity, the
preferred solution is to omit the name and explain the omission. (That situation might arise,
for example, in an interview conducted inside a
hospital or a school governed by privacy rules.)
If a complex narrative must distinguish among
several shielded identities, it may be necessary
to use given names with last initials or, less
desirable, given names alone (Hilary K.; Ashley
M.; Terry). Descriptions may serve instead (the
lawyer; the Morristown psychotherapist). As a
rare last resort, if genuine given names would
be too revealing, real or coined single initials
(Dr. D, Ms. L) may be used after consultation
with senior editors. The article must gracefully
indicate the device and the reason.
Masquerading. Times reporters do not actively misrepresent their identity to get a story.
We may sometimes remain silent on our identity and allow assumptions to be made – to observe an institution's dealings with the public,
for example, or the behavior of people at a rally
or police officers in a bar near the station house.
But a sustained, systematic deception, even a
passive one – taking a job, for example, to observe a business from the inside – may be employed only after consultation between a department head and masthead editors. (Obviously,
specific exceptions exist for restaurant reviewing and similar assignments.)
Photography and Images. Images in our
pages that purport to depict reality must be
genuine in every way. No people or objects may
be added, rearranged, reversed, distorted or
removed from a scene (except for the recognized
practice of cropping to omit extraneous outer
portions). Adjustments of color or gray scale
should be limited to those minimally necessary
for clear and accurate reproduction, analogous
to the "burning" and "dodging" that formerly
took place in darkroom processing of images.
Pictures of news situations must not be posed.
In the cases of collages, montages, portraits,
fashion or home design illustrations, fanciful
contrived situations and demonstrations of how
a device is used, our intervention should be
unmistakable to the reader, and unmistakably
free of intent to deceive. Captions and credits
should further acknowledge our intervention if
the slightest doubt is possible. The design director, a masthead editor or the news desk
should be consulted on doubtful cases or proposals for exceptions.
May 1999
Rob Melton, Master Journalism Educator, received a bachelor's
degree in Journalism from University of Oregon, and a master's
degree in curriculum and instruction from Portland State University.
He was a daily and weekly newspaper reporter, photographer, and
editor before becoming a teacher of journalism and photography in
1979. Now he teaches English and journalism in the Communications
department of Benson Polytechnic High School. He previously taught
at Roseburg (Ore.) H.S. and Wilson H.S. (Portland, Ore.).
He is a winner of Journalism Education Association's Medal of
Merit, National Scholastic Press Association's Pioneer Award, and is
listed in Who's Who Among America's Teachers.
A toolbox production
Copyright ©2001 Rob Melton