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SPJ Code of Ethics
SPJ Code of Ethics
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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.
The SPJ Code of Ethics is voluntarily embraced by thousands of journalists, regardless of place or platform, and is widely used in newsrooms and classrooms as a guide for ethical behavior. The code is intended not as a set of "rules" but as a resource for ethical decision-making. It is not — nor can it be under the First Amendment — legally enforceable.
For an expanded explanation, please follow this link.
Seek Truth and
Report It
Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering,
reporting and interpreting information.
Journalists should:
— Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid
inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.
— Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity
to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.
— Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information
as possible on sources' reliability.
— Always question sources’ motives before promising anonymity. Clarify
conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information. Keep
promises.
— 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.
— Never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for
technical clarity is always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations.
— Avoid misleading re-enactments or staged news events. If re-enactment is
necessary to tell a story, label it.
— 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
— Never plagiarize.
— Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly,
even when it is unpopular to do so.
— Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.
— Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography,
sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status.
— Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant.
— Give voice to the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information
can be equally valid.
— Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary
should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.
— Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between
the two.
— 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:
— Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage.
Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources
or subjects.
— Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected
by tragedy or grief.
— Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort.
Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance.
— 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.
— Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.
— Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects or victims of sex crimes.
— Be judicious about naming criminal suspects before the formal filing of
charges.
— 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:
—Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
— Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity
or damage credibility.
— 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.
— Disclose unavoidable conflicts.
— Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable.
— Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their
pressure to influence news coverage.
— 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:
— Clarify and explain news coverage and invite dialogue with the public over
journalistic conduct.
— Encourage the public to voice grievances against the news media.
— Admit mistakes and correct them promptly.
— Expose unethical practices of journalists and the news media.
— Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.
The SPJ Code of Ethics is voluntarily embraced
by thousands of writers, editors and other news professionals. The present version of the code was adopted by the 1996 SPJ National Convention, after months of study and debate among the Society's members.
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, 1987 and 1996.
SPJ News
Andy Schotz is a reporter for The Herald-Mail, a daily newspaper in Hagerstown, Md. He has covered a variety of beats, including city hall and police and courts. He has sometimes filled in as city editor. He covered the Maryland statehouse during the 2007 and 2008 sessions. When he joined the paper in 2000, he was the one person in the one-person Berkeley County, W.Va., bureau.
Fred Brown is a former national president of SPJ (1997-98) and is very active on its ethics committee. He writes a column on ethics for Quill magazine and served on the committee that wrote the Society’s 1996 code of ethics.