Journalism Standards And Values At Reuters
By K. Daniel Glover | July 9, 2009
Transparency is as good for journalism as it is for government, so the international wire service Reuters deserves kudos for making its "Handbook Of Journalism" available online. Now the public can decide whether Reuters is adhering to its own standards and values.
Here are "The 10 Absolutes Of Reuters Journalism," as noted in the handbook:
- Always hold accuracy sacrosanct
- Always correct an error openly
- Always strive for balance and freedom from bias
- Always reveal a conflict of interest to a manager
- Always respect privileged information
- Always protect their sources from the authorities
- Always guard against putting their opinion in a news story
- Never fabricate or plagiarize
- Never alter a still or moving image beyond the requirements of normal image enhancement
- Never pay for a story and never accept a bribe
The handbook also includes detailed sections on accuracy, independence, freedom from bias and integrity.
Conservatives, who exposed a doctored war photo by Reuters in 2006, have lodged many valid gripes against the company over the years and should be even more diligent about calling the wire service out when it forsakes its own admirable journalistic values.
K. Daniel Glover is a project manager for Accuracy In Media. He has worked as an editor, writer and new media specialist in the Washington area since 1991, spending most of that time at National Journal and Congressional Quarterly.
7 Comments | Post a Comment
Thank heavens I can trust AIM to follow good journalism requirements because there are few out there TO TRUST. Too bad so many American’s allow “News” to deteriorate without a whimper.
Journalism in the U.S. has deteriorated because editors and owners, as the media pie began to be divided into more and more slices over the last 20 to 30 years, became more interested (probably necessarily so in order to compete and stay in business) in chasing the dollar rather than chasing the story.
The ten standards mentioned in the article above were also once operable elements at the heart of the U.S.‘s journalistic code of ethics - but, with cable TV and the Internet, media began multiplying like pizza joints - and satisfying the agendas of ever-narrowing niche markets became the new business model. Now, it seems every niche market has its very own medium!
Journalism has deteriorated in the US because the Collectivists have no creativity or ideas of their own. They just walk the Collectivist Party line. Duuuhhh
Go figure
Re: Post 4;
So - you want “creativity” in YOUR journalism - as opposed to, say, objectivity, factuality, accuracy, fairness and a balanced perspective? You WANT journalists to insert “ideas of their own” - rather than engaging in straight and boring reporting?
???
Very creative of you TK. As a Collectivist you show neglected talent. Like a Journalist would, you put your own thoughts/words into the writings of others.
Your Collectivist/propagandist idiology is plain for all to see. Thank you for exposing and discrediting yourself.
Keep up the good work.
Re: Post 6;
So, along with all your former comments about “pimps” and “whores” and “farts in elevators” and “lap dancers” and “Iron condoms”, you also get off on people “exposing themselves”?
July 10 at 11:03 am | #1 | Link
These absolutes should be that for ALL journalism. Problem is the press in this country does not seem to believe this anymore.