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Ethics and Values

As a writer, editor or publisher you


have a reputation to keep. Not only
for your own publication, but for all
journalists. Part of your job as a
reporter is to ensure that your
actions are both responsible and
ethical
It is about a need to expose
information in such a way that it
engages readers and earns their
So what
does ethics
mean?
Ethics are guiding moral principles
and values. The term also
encompasses the study of right and
wrong. Within different professions,
self-imposed codes of ethics are
designed to establish the moral
boundaries of its practitioners
ELEMENTS OF ETHICS
Journalistic codes of ethics frequently
share a number of common elements
Truth and Accuracy
Independence
Fairness and Impartiality
Objectivity
Humanity
Accountability
Truth and Accuracy
Journalists cannot always guarantee
truth, but getting the facts right is
the cardinal principle of journalism
Accuracy is at the heart of what we
do. It is our job to get it first but it is
above all our job to get it right. It is
imperative that you fact-check and
ensure that what youve written is, in
fact, true.
Before, during, and after you have fi nished
writing a piece, you should go back and
check everything that is considered a fact.
This includes:
Nouns (names and places)
Dates and times
Job titles, duties
Literary quotations
Interview quotations
Sequence of actions
Contact information
Truth and Accuracy
Corrections
Sourcing(Imp)
Quotes
Reflecting reality
Attribution
Reporting rumours
Graphic images and obscenities
Truth and Accuracy
Corrections rectify mistake
Sourcing - Accuracy entails honesty in
sourcing
Accuracy always comes first. Its better to be late
than wrong. Before pushing the button, think how
you would withstand a challenge or a denial.
Know your sources well.
Cross-check information wherever possible.
When talking to sources, always make sure the
ground rules are clear. Take notes and record
interviews.
Use unnamed sources where necessary when
they provide information that is not available on
the record
QUOTES - Be sure that quotes you use are
representative of what the speaker is saying and that you
describe body language
When quoting an individual always give the
context or circumstances of the quote.

REFLECTING REALITY- Accuracy means


that our images and stories must reflect reality .
HYPE

ATTRIBUTION - Accuracy means proper


attribution to the source of material that is not ours,
whether in a story, a photograph or moving images.
REPORTING RUMORS -
differentiate between fact and
rumour.
It is incumbent for newspapers to play a
positive role in response to rumours
affecting the credibility of financial
institutions having public interface
GRAPHIC IMAGES AND
OBSCENITIES - We should not
sanitize violence, bowdlerize speech
or euphemize sex. We should not,
however, publish graphic images and
details or obscene language
gratuitously or with an intention to
titillate or to shock.
INDEPENDENCE
Journalists must be independent
voices; we should not act, formally or
informally, on behalf of special
interests whether political, corporate
or cultural.
Independence
Gather and report news without fear or favor, and
vigorously resist undue influence from any outside
forces, including advertisers, sources, story
subjects, powerful individuals, and special interest
groups.
Resist those who would seek to buy or politically
influence news content or who would seek to
intimidate those who gather and disseminate the
news.
Use editorial judgment
Resist any self-interest or peer pressure that might
erode journalistic duty and service to the public.
Recognize that sponsorship of the news will
not be used in any way to determine,
restrict, or manipulate content.
Refuse to allow the interests of ownership
or management to influence news
judgment and content inappropriately.
Defend the rights of the free press for all
journalists, recognizing that any
professional or government licensing of
journalists is a violation of that freedom.
Fairness and Impartiality
Most stories have at least two sides.
While there is no obligation to
present every side in every piece,
stories should be balanced and add
context. Objectivity is not always
possible, and may not always be
desirable (in the face for example of
brutality or inhumanity), but
impartial reporting builds trust and
confidence.
Fairness and Impartiality
The media house must retain its
impartiality in functioning as media
house and reporting cannot be
permitted to become subservient to
other business interests which the
owner of the media house may have
when such private interest conflict
with public duty of such vast
magnitude segregation of the two is
not only justified but essential.

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