PBS FRONTLINE earns SPJ Ethics in Journalism Award

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7/22/2020

CONTACT:
Matthew Kent, SPJ Program Coordinator, 317-920-4788, mkent@spj.org
Zoë Berg, SPJ Communications Coordinator, 317-920-4785, zberg@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS — The Society of Professional Journalists is bestowing the 2020 Ethics in Journalism Award to PBS FRONTLINE for its Transparency Project.

The Ethics in Journalism Award honors journalists or news organizations that perform in an outstanding ethical manner demonstrating the ideals of the SPJ Code of Ethics.

FRONTLINE’s Transparency Project provides its audience with ways to search, experience and share the in-depth interviews that go into making a documentary film. FRONTLINE developed interactive versions of its films so the audience can see key quotes in context allowing them to check FRONTLINE’s work or dig more deeply into a subject.

“We feel their Transparency Project is exactly the type of journalistic practice that can help the public see behind the reporting process,” judges for the Ethics in Journalism Award said. “The project goes above and beyond when it comes to transparency, an important element of producing ethical journalism.”

Judges are also giving a citation to “fact checkers.” They said, “We feel what they are doing is so crucial right now as more and more news consumers have a hard time differentiating between news, conspiracies, opinions. They are dedicating resources to making sure people know fact from fiction, one of the main tenets of ethical journalism.”

The winner will be recognized virtually during the SPJ 2020 Journalism Conference.

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