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Key Documents: Section II. Codes of Ethics/Newsroom Policies and Standards - Print Organizations

American Society of News Editors (ASNE)—Statement of Principles American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME)—Guidelines for Editors and Publishers New York Times Company—Policy on Ethics in Journalism Hearst Newspapers—Statement of Professional Principles the Washington Post—Standards and Ethics

Introduction

The world of print journalism has been in transition, and under attack from all sides, in recent years. Daily newspapers and consumer magazines in particular have felt the pinch of losing advertising and audience share to newer media alternatives. The pressure to prevail in this more competitive environment may have prompted a small minority of print journalists to take some ethical shortcuts in reporting and business practices. In response, the most prominent print organizations have updated and/or reaffirmed conduct guidelines to assure the integrity of their endeavors.

American Society of News Editors (ASNE) Statement of Principles, updated in 2006, fixes broad standards of professional ethics for all newspaper journalists in the United States. Six articles in the document spell out the basic underpinnings of trustworthy newspaper journalism. These articles address issues of responsibility (especially the effort to bring independent scrutiny to the use of power), freedom of the press (a warning to protect against exploitation of the press), independence, truth and accuracy, impartiality, and fair play (with an eye on rights of those in the news accused of wrongdoing or providing confidential information).

American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME), in the thirteenth edition of its Guidelines for Editors and Publishers put out in 2008, focuses exclusively on a single, pervasive challenge that faces all periodicals. ASME mandates that there should be no “influence or pressure” asserted on editorial content by magazine advertisers. The document examines ten areas—from design, covers, and logos to sponsorship, product placement, and editorial review—where the business and journalism sides might clash. The goal is to establish clear, transparent boundaries between the realm of editorial copy and the space designated for commercial advertisements.

Individual newspaper companies—The New York Times, Hearst, and The Washington Post—each concentrate on self-policing documents that govern the way their own newsrooms should function and gather the news. Most of the same on-the-job reporting principles put forth by ASME, with somewhat more detailed objectives and rules, find their way into the guidelines for these organizations. The New York Times goes a step further than the rest by prescribing a code of behavior for journalism-related personnel to follow away from the job as well. The section titled “On Our Time” weighs in on matters like correct political activities, avoiding conflicts of interest caused by family members, financial conflicts of interest, and freelance writing activities, among others.

—Glenn Lewis Volume Editor

American Society of News Editors—Statement of Principles

Published: August 20, 1996 Last Updated: November 29, 2006

ASNE Statement of Principles

ASNE's Statement of Principles was originally adopted in 1922 as the “Canons of Journalism.” The document was revised and renamed “Statement of Principles” in 1975.

PREAMBLE. The First Amendment, protecting freedom of expression from abridgment by any law, guarantees to the people through their press a constitutional right, and thereby places on newspaper people a particular responsibility. Thus journalism demands of its practitioners not only industry and knowledge but also the pursuit of a standard of integrity proportionate to the journalist's singular obligation. To this end the American Society of Newspaper Editors sets forth this Statement of Principles as a standard encouraging the highest ethical and professional performance.

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