National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics

The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) Code of Ethics is one of the main tools through which the NPPA works to legitimize visual journalism by subjecting it to the same ethical standards stated for other forms of journalism while upholding the highest standards in photojournalism.

The code was adopted for the first time in February 1946 as a main part of the association’s bylaws. During the 20th century, it was frequently updated due to the development of the journalistic phenomena to which photojournalism belongs. The code consists of three sections: The first describes the context in which visual journalists work and consequently explains the code’s aims; the second states the ethical values that journalists have to respect in their job, prescribing in which way they can ...