Ethics
Ethics codes set
standards of behavior
The standards of journalism outline how news should be gathered and presented. Examples of those standards include requirements that sources of information be clearly identified and that efforts be made to verify information before including it in a story.
Ethics cover some of the same ground, but they also attempt to patrol some of the gray areas that can impact the quality of information.
For example, most ethics codes prohibit reporters or editors from taking anything of value from the news sources they encounter. Such gifts can influence journalists’ judgement even if they adhere to the profession’s standards. In some newsrooms, reporters can be fired for accepting a free lunch, even if that lunch is being provided to dozens of others as part of a banquet. Others set out clear guidelines as to what is proper to accept and what is forbidden.
Codes of ethics urge reporters to be balanced in their coverage and to treat the subjects of their stories fairly. They also stress that a journalists’ first obligation is to the public and not to those who pay their salaries.
Codes vary from newsroom to newsroom and we’ve provided some links below so you can see what different organizations require.
When an organization does not have a formal code of its own, most rely on the code enacted by the Society of Professional Journalists as their guide.
For news consumers, knowing and understanding these codes is important so we can determine whether the journalists who provide our news are following these guidelines. And, just as importantly, they give us powerful justification for calling out journalists who fail to meet these goals.
Society of Professional Journalists
Associated Press Statement of News Values and Principles
Associated Press Managing Editors
American Society of Newspaper Editors
Radio Television Digital News Association
Databank of European Codes of Journalism Ethics
Canadian Association of Journalists Guidelines and Principles
Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Journalistic Standards and Practices
Journalism Ethics Case Studies
Toronto Star reporter offered bribe to unpublish a story