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Codes of Ethics

A code of ethics is a document that putatively describes the loyalties, values, minimum standards, and aspirational goals of an individual or organization. Ethics codes are one of many accountability systems for journalists. They state overarching ideals and define some of the practical behaviors required in the quest to reach those ideals. They are common for professions and for occupations, such as journalism, that aspire to professional status or otherwise make a claim of social responsibility. Hundreds of journalism codes of ethics exist internationally, including a few that seek to define international standards for journalism. Codes are as common as they are controversial across the globe, with nearly as many purposes, uses, and expectations as there are nations and media organizations. They can inspire. They can explain. They proscribe how journalists should act toward newsmakers, news consumers, the weak, the powerful, and toward other journalists. They universally condemn the black-and-white sins of lies and plagiarism. When read as a whole, they offer insight into the complicated relationships among competing values and loyalties that journalists must consider when making ethical decisions. They can be used to keep out governmental interference, or used by government to influence journalists. They help the public spot journalistic heroes and measure journalism that falls short. A few codes purport to describe a global ethic for journalists, but most take a local focus influenced by their national cultures, media traditions and economic systems, and governmental regulation. Codes can be created and self-imposed by individuals who engage in acts of journalism, crafted as codes of practice and/or principles by journalism organizations whose membership is voluntary, agreed on by trade unions, or handed down by employers and governments as codes of conduct for practitioners. Some general codes are designed to foster a universal understanding of media ethics and obligations, while others are created with a single journalist or group of journalists in mind. Some focus on a narrow journalistic occupation, geographic region, or religious belief. Some are widely quoted and used; others ignored. Some offer broad platitudes, while others dictate specific guidelines to follow in specific situations. Some mix aspirations with minimal standards, which can be confusing when the differences are unclear. While most codes articulate common values—especially the declaration of pursuit of “truth” as a fundamental value and the public as a fundamental loyalty—their application varies widely. Some codes are understood to be unenforced and unenforceable, while others bring legal or employment implications. Even as different codes share similar vocabulary, the definitions of similar terms vary widely. Codes can be used both to assert journalistic independence and elicit ethical behavior in socially responsible media systems, and as tools to control and punish journalists in authoritarian systems.