Journalistic Ethics, Clear and Simple
Forgive me for tearing a page out of my own newspaper, but
here's a thought from Manning Pynn, public editor of the Orlando Sentinel. He recently discussed journalism with students in Central Florida and expressed to readers his admiration for simplicity:
"Ethics codes come in a variety of sizes. The New York Times, notably,
came up with one more than 50 pages long a few years ago. I'm sure that
it covers every possible contingency but less confident that I could
commit it to memory.
"The Sentinel's is decidedly more compact
and, in my view, more likely to be remembered -- and used. Still, I
favor the sort of reminder that can be reduced to a wallet card."
In that spirit, he tells budding journalists to focus on the following "seven admonitions":
- Don't accept free stuff.
- Don't cover friends, family -- or enemies.
- Don't use your position for personal benefit.
- Don't make stuff up.
- Explain where you got your information.
- Don't steal other people's work.
- Don't alter photographs.
Pynn admits those don't cover all the pitfalls, but that sticking to them will avoid common problems.
What do you think? Suggest an eighth rule below.