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Ethics in the Newsroom

Editor's Note: Zadie Schonfeld from PressPassNYC provides a guide for how to establish ethics guidelines in high school newspapers.



What Are Journalistic Ethics? 


While laws (like those about who you can record, or what you can say) govern what we journalists can do, ethics govern what we should do. Journalistic ethics are a set of ethical standards that responsible journalists hold themselves to in order to ensure they maintain truth, objectivity, and accountability. For example, a professional journalist might distance themselves from covering news that they have a strong personal opinion about or connection to, or avoid taking extravagant gifts. In a high school setting, this can include getting many interviews from different perspectives or giving up a story you have a personal connection to. 


Why Are Ethics Important In A High School Newspaper?


First, it’s never too soon to make sure you are holding yourself accountable and helping others do the same. It creates good habits and sets you up for success later on. 


Second, it makes your newspaper more trustworthy, thereby increasing readership. 


Third, you spend less time and energy on reprints. When information isn’t appropriately attributed, there can be downsides for you! 


Fourth, you can work through ethical questions before they occur, and make more decisive decisions when they come up. 


How Can I Encourage Ethical Standards In My Newspaper? 


If you are a leader in your newspaper, you can create ethics guidelines for your writers, and teach them about standards at your school. You can also encourage them to attend workshops or read about journalistic standards online. 


However, you shouldn’t try to force your writers to do anything: make it clear that you are encouraging them to make decisions for themselves, not that you are forcing them to follow the letter of your rules. This empowers them to make real-time decisions to get a scoop. 


What Ethical Standards Should High School Journalists Follow? 


Every newspaper will be slightly different. Here are some examples of guidelines you could put in place. 


  • Students should not use Photoshop or similar photo-editing software to alter images - This is an important guideline because using these softwares can lead to a false image or impression. 

  • Satire and opinion sections should be clearly separate from news sections - This is important because when these lines get blurred, your readers may be confused about or lose trust in the real news. 

  • All quotes should be correctly attributed and unaltered except for clarity - It’s essential that you relay accurate information from your sources. Excessive editing or misattribution can lead to confusion and misinformation. 

  • Criticism of public officials, public figures, school policy, or the work performance of teachers, administrators, school officials and/or other school employees is generally protected unless it meets the definition of libel - Journalists should feel free to publish what they want without fear of backlash, unless it crosses the line into dangerous or defamatory speech. 


You can also write a brief paragraph explaining the purpose, importance, and goals of your ethics policy. 


Here are some sample ethical guidelines from high school and professional newspapers. 



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