are journalists required to swear to the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics?
cigarsnbrew:
"HR usually makes you sign a statement saying that you read it"
:
is that read and follow, or just read?
Hi Joy interesting question my major was media studies I always wanted to be a News Reporter on televison ….I remember in College I took many Ethic classes in Journalism and we studied a code of ethics that people in the news and in any business whether Financial etc.. should follow a code of ethics……….but I did not know that journalists were required to swear by these code of ethics is this true here in America wow interesting I never heard of this but then again I never worked for a major news company either & when i was networking about the field for career interest…. with the people like a CBS Producer in NY and writers for ABC nightly news etc……… in the business they never mentioned it to me…………………..
April 16th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
No.
At least, I never did when I was a member of this organization.
And for that matter, I can honestly say that some of the people that I knew who were members are guilty of violating some of the ethical laws of SPJ.
References :
April 16th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Hi Joy interesting question my major was media studies I always wanted to be a News Reporter on televison ….I remember in College I took many Ethic classes in Journalism and we studied a code of ethics that people in the news and in any business whether Financial etc.. should follow a code of ethics……….but I did not know that journalists were required to swear by these code of ethics is this true here in America wow interesting I never heard of this but then again I never worked for a major news company either & when i was networking about the field for career interest…. with the people like a CBS Producer in NY and writers for ABC nightly news etc……… in the business they never mentioned it to me…………………..
References :
April 16th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
No, but sometimes we swear AT it.
But seriously, the code is a guide for those in the profession. However, like most codes that guide behavior, such as the Bible or the Koran, it is open to interpretation.
For instance: — "Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity."
In reality, if a source offers to buy you a soda, or a company sends you a promotional gift of nominal value, you usually can accept it.
Or if you want to be an officer in your homeowners association, it’s usually ok, though if the association becomes part of a news story, you would be required to tell your editor about your involvement and not work on the story.
But if, for instance, a Realtor offers you a 20 percent discount on a condo because you wrote a story about him that he felt was favorable, or you secretly took a job as a political consultant for a candidate — well, at most places, you’ll be out of a job pretty quick if you’re found out.
Most news organizations base their internal ethics guides on that code, with adjustments for that specific company or the region. And though you don’t have to "swear" to it, HR usually makes you sign a statement saying that you read it.
To clarify: Read and understand. As adults, we’re expected to follow and discuss it with a supervisor if we’re uncertain.
References :
http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp
April 16th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Yes, we have to put our right hands on our Associated Press Stylebooks and solemnly swear to the code once a year.
But seriously, it is widely regarded as a good starting point for most journalism organizations. Most companies have their own codes of ethics that their journalists are required to follow as a condition of their employment. Many of those codes are based on the SPJ code.
References :