|
The Media Research Center of Alaska, a non-profit organization (501 (c) 3), is committed to identifying, reviewing, and reporting bias in the media that violates the media industrys code of ethics, as it pertains to media in Alaska. |
|
Journalism Code of Ethics Society
of Professional JournalistsCode of Ethics 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 journalists' 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. 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;
avoiding 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. (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 it's own
code, which was revised in 1984 and 1987. The present version of the
Society of Professional Journalists' successor name to Sigma Delta Chi]
Code of Ethics was adopted in September 1996. |
