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Guiding Principles for the Journalist
January 1999
1. Seek Truth and Report it as Fully as Possible
Journalists travel through moral minefields. Intense deadlines and competitive fervor weigh on reporters and editors. Bottom-line mentalities, technological demands and organizational dysfunctions await editors, producers and news managers at every turn. Complex issues, convoluted information and contradictory facts cloud logic, erode common sense and undermine good intentions.
The challenges are significant. The stakes are high. Yet many journalists admit to being unprepared and uncomfortable about making the ethical decisions that will improve their chances for getting through the mine field. That lack of confidence and competence can produce significant consequences.
Absent a moral compass that points to clear values and guiding principles, journalists may fall short in fulfilling their responsibilities. Misguided journalists may fail in their duty to pursue the truth about important issues and events. Journalists without strong ethical decision-making skills are more prone to veer off course and cause harm through unfair or inaccurate reporting, invasion of privacy, insensitivity to story subjects, disrespect to sources, or just plain shoddy work.
To prevent such missteps, journalists should be
In addition to maneuvering successfully through moral mine fields, journalists must develop their competency on legal issues. They must grasp both the spirit and substance of the First Amendment so they can honor their responsibilities and guard their rights. They must be knowledgeable on matters of libel, privacy, access and contracts with sources. Legal competency requires both a respect for the boundaries of law and the ability to make sound and courageous decisions in service to the public and democracy.
January 1999
1. Seek Truth and Report it as Fully as Possible
- Inform yourself continuously so you in turn can inform, engage, and educate the public in a clear and compelling way on significant issues
- Be honest, fair, and courageous in gathering, reporting, and interpreting accurate information
- Give voice to the voiceless
- Hold the powerful accountable
- Guard vigorously the essential stewardship role a free press plays in an open society
- Seek out and disseminate competing perspectives without being unduly influenced by those who would use their power or position counter to the public interest
- Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise your integrity or damage your credibility
- Recognize that good ethical decisions require individual responsibility enriched by collaborative efforts
- Be compassionate for those affected by your actions
- Treat sources, subjects, and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect, not merely as means to your journalistic ends
- Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort, but balance those negatives by choosing alternatives that maximize your goal of truthtelling
Journalists travel through moral minefields. Intense deadlines and competitive fervor weigh on reporters and editors. Bottom-line mentalities, technological demands and organizational dysfunctions await editors, producers and news managers at every turn. Complex issues, convoluted information and contradictory facts cloud logic, erode common sense and undermine good intentions.
The challenges are significant. The stakes are high. Yet many journalists admit to being unprepared and uncomfortable about making the ethical decisions that will improve their chances for getting through the mine field. That lack of confidence and competence can produce significant consequences.
Absent a moral compass that points to clear values and guiding principles, journalists may fall short in fulfilling their responsibilities. Misguided journalists may fail in their duty to pursue the truth about important issues and events. Journalists without strong ethical decision-making skills are more prone to veer off course and cause harm through unfair or inaccurate reporting, invasion of privacy, insensitivity to story subjects, disrespect to sources, or just plain shoddy work.
To prevent such missteps, journalists should be
- Clear in their guiding principles and strong in their values. Ethical journalists embrace their mission, commit to high standards and hold themselves personally responsible for their behavior.
- Committed to serving the public good. Ethical journalists hold the powerful accountable and reach out to those in need.
- Courageous in belief and independent of mind. Ethical journalists are willing and able to challenge conventional wisdom, question authority, and tolerate ambiguity.
- Recognizing ethical issues. You have more time to make good decisions when you anticipate the land mines. Once you are on top of them you have fewer choices with greater pressure.
- Analysis and moral reasoning. Strong critical thinking skills allow you to weigh competing values, recognize conflicting loyalties, search for alternatives, and consider consequences.
- Communicating ethical positions clearly and cogently. Doing ethics is part artful debate and part bare knuckle boxing. If you can't make your point, it's tough to lead others and next to impossible to influence your boss.
In addition to maneuvering successfully through moral mine fields, journalists must develop their competency on legal issues. They must grasp both the spirit and substance of the First Amendment so they can honor their responsibilities and guard their rights. They must be knowledgeable on matters of libel, privacy, access and contracts with sources. Legal competency requires both a respect for the boundaries of law and the ability to make sound and courageous decisions in service to the public and democracy.
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