Key Documents: Section II. Codes of Ethics/Newsroom Policies and Standards - Reporting Specializations

Business Reporting

American Business Media (ABM)—Editorial Code of Ethics Society of American Business Editors and Writers, Inc. (SABEW)—Code of Ethics

Introduction

The power of the business press is a mighty force to behold. In these fragile economic times, business stories from reputable news sources can impact the fortunes of individuals, companies, major industries, whole nations, and even the global marketplace. But business reporters, maybe more than any other journalists, must have the news consumer's trust and confidence to be effective. There can be no hint of an agenda influenced by personal gain or special interest groups.

American Business Media (ABM) is an association of media companies that produce more than 6,000 print and online publications. These business-to-business journalism organizations serve an enormous audience of professionals but often remain overlooked and unappreciated by the general public. Their job is to cover the commercial news, trends, and practices of a multitude of industries ranging from advertising, athletics, and publishing to agriculture, marketing, and health care.

ABM's regularly updated Editorial Code of Ethics naturally puts a great emphasis on avoiding conflicts of interest, maintaining accuracy and fair reporting policies, and selecting editorial content that best serves the business audience in question. The document closely examines the relationship of editors and reporters with advertisers. It also pays a lot of attention to the outside activities of staff journalists, like freelance work or personal appearances for companies on their beat, which can compromise news coverage. The final section on electronic media, adapted from the American Society of Magazine Editors guidelines, takes a close look at editorial control over site content, branding, hypertext links, and the way user privacy or data gets handled.

Society of American Business Editors and Writers, Inc. (SABEW) is an organization of accredited business journalists who write for business sections of newspapers, business magazines and newspapers, and business websites. The SABEW Code of Ethics sets tight guidelines on the personal investments of member journalists and their families. It pushes for the confidentiality of sensitive information while pursuing a story and the need to keep others from profiting before material becomes public. The code also warns against journalists making concessions to any government agencies in relation to news content.

—Glenn Lewis Volume Editor

American Business Media—Editorial Code of Ethics

Revised March 2005

Business-to-business editors have earned the highest level of trust among their readers. Many surveys have shown that executives and managers believe business-to-business publications provide the most accurate and credible information available.

That trust is both a high compliment and a challenge for those who plan, write and edit publications. It sets a high standard they must maintain. American Business Media has always held its editors to such high standards. Indeed, the annual Jesse H. Neal Awards, named for the Association's first president, were established in the mid-1950s to encourage editorial excellence and have become the highest honors granted for business- to-business journalism. ABM's Code of Publishing Practice, a part of ABM's Constitution And By-Laws, has been in place for more than 33 years, and requires that ABM member companies maintain strict standards of journalistic ethics.

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