A Journalist's Own Code of Ethics

With freedom comes responsibility. This is perhaps the single-most important maxim in the practice of journalism; all else falls underneath this idea. With the protection of the Constitution and its First Amendment, journalists are given the right to free speech. Without diving into the restraints and specifics of the freedom of speech, we can still note that by being given this right, a great amount of responsibility is bestowed upon journalists to uphold it. Within this, one has both a responsibility to the people and maintaining the functionality of our democracy, and to themselves personally as journalists. For without the right to criticize those who govern us, we are not free as a nation. Journalists have the responsibility to uphold this to be true, and in doing so, must act in a manner of true ethical stability. With this said, we define ourselves as journalists by having a personal code of ethics—both tailored to ourselves as individuals and bonding together on a greater plane.

It is my general belief that when pertaining to the treatment of subjects in a piece, the line lies somewhere in-between the Judeo-Christian “do unto others” and a hard-edged “you make your bed you lie in it” approach. Meaning exactly if a person has done something wrong, it is necessary to report on it, but there is an area between the two ends of the spectrum that allows you to truthfully tell a story about someone without villainizing or idolizing him or her.

  

-       Abide by the law.

-       Question the motives of all parties: editors, publishers, sources, and subjects.

-       Sensitivity has its place; journalists should be human.

-       Value detachment and avoid favoritism.

-       Do not accept money.

-       Admit mistakes.

-       Work to maintain the goal of holding those in power accountable.

-       Identify sources unless explicitly forbidden and you are in agreement with the   

         justification for needing to remain anonymous.

A code of ethics is “a set of ideals that recognizes a complexity of challenges and the reality of human imperfection,” writes Bob Steele for Poynter. This is an important realization; a journalist’s code need not be laws but instead a guideline that recognizes we as journalists are sometimes up against extreme challenges and that our field is one that comes with a lot of grey area.