Writer’s Blog 10: How to Know What’s Right or Wrong in the Newsroom?
When looking to news sources and reporters, it is a profession that involves a great deal of personal relationships that are based on honesty, integrity, and morals. These characteristics and everyday activities of the job involve plenty of stakes. As a result, many people find it shocking that journalists do not have an official oath to solidify their credibility and hold them accountable.
Unlike professions such as law, medicine, and federal employment where taking an oath is required to serve people and the public good, journalists don’t. Due to this lack of perceived ‘unprofessionalism,’ many people don’t like journalists or find it difficult to believe them. However, even though there is no official oath that reporters must take to work in this field, there is an abundance of sources that provide guidance and answers to the ethical questions journalists ask themselves every day. In addition, almost every publication creates its own ethical and moral standards for its employees to follow and rigorously uphold.
The guideline that is upheld and referred to at practically every news organization is the Code of Ethics by the Society of Professional Journalists. The Society of Professional Journalists is the most widely-based journalism organization in the United States. The sole reason this organization exists and is still highly regarded today is because of its dedication to high standards of moral behavior and free speech for journalists nationwide.
Founded in 1909, the Society of Professional Journalists created the Code of Ethics to include information and guidance for journalists that include but are not limited to these pillars; Seeking Truth and Reporting It, Minimizing Harm, Independent Action, Accountability, and Transparency. With these baseline values, the Society of Professional Journalists is able to update and adapt this code to meet the modernized standards and workings of a newsroom. The most recent update to this code was in September 2014.
Narrowing down now to a specific publication, The New York Times. The New York Times has extensive and historical prominence in the news world. Thus, their ethical standards are strict and constantly referred to by The Times itself and other news publications. Its Ethical Journalism Handbook solely covers the news and opinion departments of the New York Times but is extremely detailed and specific in what is expected of its writers. Like all reputable publications, The Times strives to maintain and uphold the highest standards of journalistic ethics.
As such, The New York Times, its members, staff, and readers have a shared interest in avoiding conflicts of interest, let alone an appearance of any conflict. No news organization is perfect, but for more than a century, The Times has been regarded for its integrity, stewardship, and contributions to the news organization as a whole, meaning that its ethical standards can be trusted and clearly viewed as an authority.
By keeping in mind its responsibility to uphold the First Amendment, the topics covered in the Times Ethics Handbook include; News Pursuance, Neutrality, Advertisers, Marketing, Promotions, Brand Obligations, Books, Movies, Reprints, Copyrights, Broadcast Media, Family Relations, Investments, Financial Ties, and much more. Even though that is an exhaustive list, it still doesn’t cover every aspect of journalistic work and how to navigate ethical situations. Even though there is no permanently adapted oath or ethical code for journalists to follow, these guidelines and handbooks are always available and constantly used by journalists to make the best decision in times of stress.
