Electoral Integrity

3rd edition, 2012

Topic IndexMedia Code of Conduct

The following are principles of ethical behaviour for the media, based on the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Associated Press Managing Editors’ Statement of Ethical Principles and Gannett Newspaper Division’s Principles of Ethical Conduct for Newsrooms.[1]

Report the truth

Be a watchdog of the political and electoral process.
Ensure accurate, balanced and impartial coverage of the news. Make sure the news content is substantiated, accurate, complete and in context.
Do not make assumptions. Check facts, and make a good-faith effort before publication to get comments from the persons or organizations involved.
Seek solutions along with exposing problems and corruption.
Use neutral words to ensure impartial, dispassionate reporting. Be careful with technical terms, statistics, estimates and election results. Be careful with headlines and make sure they reflect the facts of the story.
Avoid inflaming emotions over controversial issues.
Label opinions and personal interpretations as such, and limit opinions and editorials to the editorial pages.
Label advertising clearly so it is not confused with the news.
Be honest and fair in the way the news is gathered, reported and presented. Do not lie or fabricate. Do not pretend to be a police officer, public official or anyone other than a journalist in pursuing a story. Do not plagiarize. Do not alter photographs or graphics to mislead the public.

Minimize harm

Be transparent and honest with the reader.
Act honourably and ethically in dealing with news sources, the public and colleagues.
Do not expose the private life of a private citizen without reason.
Be sensitive when interviewing, and recognize that gathering news can cause harm or discomfort.
Respect the rights of persons involved in the news. Observe common standards of decency, and treat people with dignity, respect and compassion.
Balance the right of an accused person to a fair trial with the public’s right to know.

Act independently

Avoid conflict of interest by refusing to accept gifts, favours or other benefits from anyone being covered in an article or from newsmakers, politicians or other journalists.
Avoid being influenced by advertisers on the content of your reporting.
Do not give favourable rates to one political advertiser and not others.
Do not give money for sources or stories.

Be accountable

Be accountable to the public for the fairness and accuracy of what you write.
Honour pledges of confidentiality to a news source; otherwise, identify sources.
Be accountable for how you behave and collect news.
Obey the laws and the standards of ethical journalism.

[1] Society of Professional Journalists, Code of Ethics for Journalists, 1996; Associated Press Managing Editors, Statement of Ethical Principles, 1994; Gannett Newspaper Division, Principles of Ethical Conduct for Newsrooms, 1999.

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Electoral Integrity