Ethics Codes
Joel Kaplan
February 27, 2012
The Editorial Integrity for Public Media Project has finalized its report, called the “Local Public Media Organizations Code of Editorial Integrity.”
The 18-page report can be found here:
It is an impressive report that focuses on several important ethical tenets, ranging from a journalism that reports events and issues with accuracy and integrity to a transparency in fundraising and assuring that the editorial process is free from undue influence by those who donate.
This new code has already been endorsed by the Editorial Integrity for Public Media Steering Committee, the board of the Station Resource Group and the public television Affinity Group Coalition.
The hope is that this document will be endorsed, adopted or adapted by public media organizations around the country.
At the same time that this report was generated, NPR has also unveiled its new ethics code.
That code can be found here:
This 72-page handbook includes similar guidelines on issues of accuracy, fairness, independence, impartiality and transparency.
But it also goes into much greater detail when it comes to the uses of anonymous sources and social media.
This document should also be endorsed, adopted or adapted by public media organizations around the country.
The release of both of these ethics codes this week comes at an important time for public media, which has been assailed on many fronts about its commitment to objectivity and balance as well as transparency.
The sooner local public media outlets adopt these codes and adapt them to their own special circumstances, the better. It will give their viewers, listeners and readers a roadmap into what they should expect from their local public media.
Should you have any reaction to these codes of ethics or believe they are leaving some important elements out, please contact me.
