Ethics in the News
Pro-DeSantis political ad uses artificial intelligence to simulate Trump’s voice saying words he never spoke
Extremist group Moms for Liberty focuses on becoming more media savvy, winning over GOP parents, politicians
Northwestern University student newspaper breaks major national story on hazing in school’s football program
Fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson promoted false, racist narratives drawn from fringe, far-right forums
Top-rated Fox News host Tucker Carlson pushed out a week after network settles defamation suit for $787M
Don Lemon fired from CNN 2 months after apologizing for comments widely viewed as ageist, misogynistic
Proof of deliberate lies about Dominion on Fox News key to the company overcoming tough libel law standard
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell loses his election fraud challenge; must pay $5M to man who proved him wrong
Fox News’ decision to broadcast false information an ‘egregious’ violation of journalism ethics, experts say
DeSantis proposes making it easier to sue journalists with hopes of overturning landmark defamation ruling
Diversity in the News
Texas A&M president resigns amid fallout over botched hiring of Black journalist with long DEI track record
Group says Carlee Russell news coverage, social media posts helped raised awareness of missing people of color
Former CNN reporter who was injured while on assignment sues for unfair dismissal, racial discrimination
Women in charge: Every major US news organization is led by a woman, including CNN, where 3 lead the network
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Wesley Lowery named executive editor of Investigative Reporting Workshop
New York City news station fires anchor after hot mic caught him insulting his African American co-host
Students from 47 HBCUs attend exclusive news briefing with VP Harris as White House correspondents for a day
NABJ: Report on Memphis police brutality case with ‘accuracy, responsibility, sensitivity, fairness, and support’
AAJA offers guidance for ‘responsibly and fairly’ covering California communities affected by mass shootings
‘Sensational storyteller’ Cecilia Vega leaves ABC’s White House beat for CBS’ ‘60 Minutes’ as correspondent
Ethics Updates
Sep 20, 2023 • Be Accountable and Transparent Ethics Update Seek Truth and Report It
Updating reporting on a hit-and-run as more information is released
A video showing two apparent teenagers intentionally driving into a retired police chief riding his bicycle in Las Vegas went viral over the weekend. The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s coverage of the incident was heavily criticized by readers who posted screenshots of the Review-Journal’s obituary for the officer that was published on Aug. 18 for its use of “bike crash” in the headline. Thirteen days later, a source approached the reporter with the now-viral video and the reporter connected the source to the police. On Sunday, Elon Musk reposted one of the criticisms saying, “An innocent man was murdered in cold blood Read More
Sep 13, 2023 • Ethics Update Minimize Harm
Minimizing harm for families of homicide victims
“More Than A Number” by Justin Baxley is a project aimed at making it easier and more humane for families of homicide victims to engage with local media. Baxley focused on giving the families of crime victims more agency over how quickly and how often a media outlet contacts them (including choosing not to comment at all), ensuring more time to respond to journalists’ questions and having more of a say in how their loved one is portrayed. One of the pillars of the SPJ Code of Ethics is to minimize harm, “Ethical journalism treats sources, subjects, colleagues and members of the public Read More
Aug 16, 2023 • Ethics Update Seek Truth and Report It
False reporting on a child influencers death
For a three-month period in early 2018, child influencer Lil Tay took over the internet. But after going on “Good Morning America” and the drama around who was managing her, Lil Tay’s Instagram went dark in 2018 until Aug. 9 when a statement was posted saying she and her older half-brother had died unexpectedly. “Major media outlets published, and then walked back, stories about the teenager’s [supposed] death. (Her exact age is unclear, as reports have varied over the years.) But longtime followers, knowing her online persona, were wary from the get-go,” Angela Yang reported for NBC News. Some of Read More
More on ‘‘Seek Truth and Report It’’
Sep 2023 • Be Accountable and Transparent Ethics Update Seek Truth and Report It
Updating reporting on a hit-and-run as more information is released
Aug 2023 • Ethics Update Seek Truth and Report It
Aug 2023 • Be Accountable and Transparent Ethics Update Seek Truth and Report It
Jul 2023 • Ethics Update Minimize Harm Seek Truth and Report It
May 2023 • Be Accountable and Transparent Ethics Update Minimize Harm Seek Truth and Report It
More on ‘‘Minimize Harm’’
Sep 2023 • Ethics Update Minimize Harm
Jul 2023 • Ethics Update Minimize Harm
Jul 2023 • Ethics Update Minimize Harm Seek Truth and Report It
Jun 2023 • Ethics Update Minimize Harm
May 2023 • Be Accountable and Transparent Ethics Update Minimize Harm Seek Truth and Report It
More on ‘‘Act Independently’’
Jul 2023 • Act Independently Be Accountable and Transparent Ethics Update
Jun 2023 • Act Independently Be Accountable and Transparent Ethics Update
Nov 2022 • Act Independently Ethics Update
More on ‘‘Be Accountable and Transparent’’
Sep 2023 • Be Accountable and Transparent Ethics Update Seek Truth and Report It
Updating reporting on a hit-and-run as more information is released
Aug 2023 • Be Accountable and Transparent Ethics Update
Aug 2023 • Be Accountable and Transparent Ethics Update Seek Truth and Report It
Jul 2023 • Act Independently Be Accountable and Transparent Ethics Update
Jun 2023 • Act Independently Be Accountable and Transparent Ethics Update
May 16, 2023 • Top Story
ReNews Project revives defunct HBCU publications, community coverage
Wesley Wright wanted to bolster news media coverage of historically Black colleges and universities and nearby communities. His idea was to bypass local, traditional media and instead equip HBCU students with the tools and training they needed to take on the lofty task. Wright, with help from a few friends and associates, transformed his vision into the ReNews Project, which gives students at HBCUs the resources to develop or restart their college publications and eventually expand coverage to surrounding communities. The project launched in 2021, and Coppin State University in Baltimore was the first to get the ReNews treatment. Continue Reading
May 13, 2022 • Top Story
After George Floyd’s death, fashion editor pivots to covering race, culture
After nearly 20 years of interviewing designers, coordinating photo shoots and identifying fashion trends, Houston Chronicle fashion editor and writer Joy Sewing yearned for a change. “I was really trying to leave,” said Sewing, a native Houstonian. “I felt like I’d done all I could do in the fashion realm that I had. I felt I needed another challenge.” Then police killed George Floyd. “When George Floyd happened, I think a lot of journalists, particularly Black journalists who may not have been focusing in a big way on issues of race, kind of felt like they had to speak up,” Continue Reading
April 14, 2022 • Top Story
Op-ed writer challenges newspaper’s decision to inform readers of past crime
Steve Schulz’s social life often led him to downtown Minneapolis, where he’d attend ball games, go to the theater or just have drinks with friends. Since he was there so much, he decided to sell his house in the suburbs and get an apartment downtown, where he could walk to his favorite hangouts. Shortly after he arrived in 2019, the coronavirus shut down the city and police killed George Floyd, leading to numerous downtown protests, some of them ending with riots. There were other issues: noise from drag racers, more frequent sirens, more protests, more riots and rising crime. Continue Reading
February 17, 2022 • Top Story
Hicks: Palin case dismissal comes with a reminder of vulnerability
February 16, 2022 • Top Story
Beyond the Zucker headlines, another ethics issue
Jeff Zucker’s departure from the network he led has been big news. But media executives and newsroom managers who strive to produce journalism with high ethical standards should take note of a passing detail in the events at CNN that preceded his leaving. CNN guidance that would have prevented former host Chris Cuomo from interviewing his brother, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was waived during the early days of the pandemic, apparently with Zucker’s support. Zucker resigned Feb. 2, saying he failed to report a consensual relationship with a close colleague, CNN Chief Marketing Officer Allison Gollust (who has Continue Reading
In Depth: SPJ’s Code of Ethics
Support the open and civil exchange of views, even views they find repugnant.
Learn more about this statement, and the rest of SPJ’s Code of Ethics, here.
This free platform helps you find diverse experts for your storiesAre you a journalist who wants to diversify the stories you tell by including more people of color while streamlining your search for reputable sources? This platform is especially for you.
Race & Gender Hotline: Get fast answers to sensitive questionsSPJ has editors on call with experience resolving race and gender issues in news stories. They respond quickly to your questions and offer concrete advice.
Contact our Ethics Hotline if you’re faced with a tough ethical decisionThere’s often no easy solution for ethical issues, but we’ll coach you through yours using principles outlined in SPJ’s Code of Ethics.
Dig through our toolbox for resources to help with ethical issuesThe toolbox for journalists has information on a wide range of topics, such as ethical considerations for data visualizations. Find the topic that interests you.