The Code of Ethics in Journalism

Ethics according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary are rules of behaviour based on ideas about what is morally good and bad.

These are principles of ethics and good practice as applicable to the specific challenges or problems faced by Journalists. These are rules, codes guiding the wellbeing of every Journalists.

Historically, this is widely known in Journalism profession as "Professional code of ethics or canons of Journalism".

These codes or rules are mostly drafted by professionals in their statements or individual media organisations.

The code of ethics include the principle of limitation of harm; this involves the withholding of certain details of reports which include names of crime victims, names of minor children, information not related to a particular news which might harm someone's reputation, even names of sources to a particular information can be withheld.

Notable code of ethics include that journalist should respect the presumption on innocence

Purpose of the code of ethics in Journalism
The purpose of the code of ethics is to guide Journalists through difficulties such as conflicts of interest, thereby assisting Journalists in dealing with ethical dilemmas.

Ideally, the code of ethics provide Journalists the framework for self-monitoring and self-correction.

Most common code of Ethics.
The code of ethics differs by country but there are some codes which are common to all countries. These are:

==>Standards for Factual Reporting
*.Reporters are expected to be accurate given the time assigned to story preparation and the space available, and also to seek sources that are reliable.

*.Events with a single eyewitness are reported with quality. Events with two or more independent eyewitnesses may be reported as fact. Meanwhile, controversial facts are reported with attribution.

*.Independent fact-finding by another employee of the publisher is desirable.

*.Corrections are published when errors are discovered.

*.Defendants at trial are tagged "allegedly"  until conviction, when their crimes are generally reported as fact (unless, that is, there is serious controversy about wrongful conviction).

*.Opinion surveys and statistical information deserve special treatment to communicate in precise terms any conclusions, to contextualize the results, and to specify accuracy, thereby including estimated error and methodological criticism or flaws.

==>Considerations of Slander and Libel
*.Reporting the truth is almost never libel, thereby making accuracy very important.

*.Private persons have privacy rights that must be balanced against the public interest in reporting information about them. Public figures have fewer privacy rights in U.S. law, where reporters are immune from a civil case if they have reported without malice. While in Canada, there is no such immunity; reports on public figures must be backed by facts.

*.Publishers vigorously defend libel lawsuits filed against their reporters, usually covered by libel insurance.

==>Principles of Harm Limitation
During the course of an assignment or fact-finding, a reporter might go about—gathering facts and details, conducting interviews, doing research, background checks, taking photos, videotaping, recording sound.
Harm limitation deals with the questions of whether everything learned should be reported and, if so, how.

This principle of limitation means that some weight needs to be given to the negative consequences of full disclosure, creating a practical and ethical dilemma. The Society of Professional Journalists' code of ethics offers the following advice, which is representative of the practical ideals of most professional journalists.
Quoting directly:
*.Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Special sensitivity should be accustomed 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.

==>Relationship with freedom of the press
In countries without freedom of the press, the majority of people who report the news may not follow the above-described standards of journalism. Non-free media are often prohibited from criticizing the national government, and in many cases are required to distribute propaganda as if it were news. Various other forms of censorship may restrict reporting on issues the government deems sensitive.

==>Campaigning in the media
Many print media take advantage of their wide readership and print persuasive pieces in the form of unsigned editorials that represent the official position of the organization. Despite the assumed separation between editorial writing and news gathering, this practice may cause some people to doubt the political objectivity of the publication's news reporting.

Meanwhile, other publications and many broadcast media only publish opinion pieces that are attributed to a particular individual or to an outside entity. One particular controversial question is if the media organizations should endorse political candidates for office. Political endorsements create more opportunities to clarify favoritism in reporting, thereby creating a perceived conflict of interest.

==>Methods of Investigation
Investigative journalism is largely an information-gathering exercise, finding facts that are not easy to obtain by simple requests and searches, or are actively being concealed, suppressed or distorted. Investigative work involves undercover journalism, even using methods more typical of private detectives or even spying, it brings a large extra burden on ethical standards.

Anonymous sources are twofold - they often provide especially newsworthy information, such as classified or confidential information about current events, information about a previously unreported scandal, or the perspective of a particular group that may fear retribution for expressing certain opinions in the press. Thereby making it difficult or impossible for the reporter to verify the source's statements. Sometimes sources hide their identities from the public because their statements would otherwise quickly be discredited.

Hence, statements accredited to anonymous sources may carry more weight with the public than they might if they were attributed.

The Washington press was criticized in recent years for excessive use of anonymous sources, this is particular to information that is later revealed to be unreliable.