The Codes

Colleen Howard
ch960014@ohio.edu

As new writers begin their journey into the world of journalism they are opening the door to many new experiences. Some good, some great and even some bad, our duty as a journalist has never wavered. To develop an easy line of communication between organization and general public while distilling the news at a timely and most accurate manner.

Before a journalist can own their title as such they must know who they are as a writer. Great writers must see obstacles ahead and tear them down to report the necessary news, but how far is too far? That's for each and every writer to decide for themselves. By putting up a code, a rulebook or whatever you may call it, a writer can fully understand the line in which they will never cross to get a story.

Many organizations such as Society of Professional Journalists or the Online News Association have released copies of ethical codes for writers as a baseline. However, this doesn't always mean that these are set in stone. SPJ specifically records on their website the framework of an ethical code that they have developed can't be enforced due to the legal obligations it may conflict with like the First Amendment. As stated previously, if the organization feels they can't uphold each individual to their baseline ethical code than it must be left up to the responsibility of the writer to determine how they receive and distribute their information.

Frameworks that employers develop within the world of journalism don't necessarily stop at the writers either. Many advertisers and public relations specialists at news organizations must also develop what they perceive to be their code and live by it. Members of The Public Relations Society of America must recognize their role within this community and take a pledge to remain accurate and true to the moral policies they've set up. No matter what aspect of journalism that a person ends up in, they can be sure ethical dilemmas are around every corner and they must decide for themselves how to act.

Ethics has proven to have a major role in the current state of the world in which we live. With "fake news" claims tracking down journalists left and right, one can be certain that now more than ever we as writers, advertisers, PR representatives and all other entities must remain true to our codes and the codes of our organizations we promote.

Finding resources to help someone remain ethical no matter society's current climate shouldn't be a challenge either. There are plenty of facilities that recognize the importance of the issue and report on it. Universities from all over have begun stressing ethical dilemmas and codes among journalists now more than ever. The Poynter Institute has developed a class specifically to work with students on their ethical responsibility and conveying that to their colleagues. Whereas the AP Stylebook has never failed to provide a synopsis of their ethical code.

So as previously stated above, whether you find or make an ethical code let it be accurate, fair and true to you.