The following are the four values on which I have based my ethical statements and obligations, along with a small discussion of each.
Act Independently
Acting independently does not only consist of reporters working on their own stories, instead of plagiarizing material. It mainly includes reporting without the influence of advertisers or other outside sources that could contribute biases to a story, or cause self- censorship.
Keep Public Trust
Keeping the public trust is very important, especially since readers are now so skeptical of reporters. If trust is not developed and maintained, both parties will suffer: reporters and editors will be without jobs and readers will not be informed about important issues.
Minimize Harm
As already established, publications and, therefore, journalists, rely on readers. If these readers are insulted by the stories in the publication, journalists could be out of a job. Thus, caution must be taken toward touchy subjects, such as stereotypes.
Seek Truth and Report It
With all of the recent forgery cases, and with 'breaking news' opportunities often causing the reporting of un-investigated news, many rumors and falsities have been making their way into everyday publications. The job of a journalist is to provide the public with true information. Therefore, not seeking and reporting the truth not only harms readers, because they are uninformed, but also harms publications by, as associated with another value, losing the public's trust.
