Journalism is a new profession when compared to Medicine, Law and even Mortuary Science. Unlike doctors and many other professionals, journalists are protected from government control by the Constitution of the United States, First Amendment.
For thousands of years doctor have taken the Hippocratic Oath, and lawyers have a Cannon of Ethics. Doctors and lawyers and many other professionals subscribe to self-policing. And government forces add teeth to such housecleaning. But journalists, except for laws against libel, depend on professional ethics to limit their behavior.
Cedar Key High School offers a course in Journalism. The textbook used by the students devotes thirty-one pages to "Meeting Ethical and Legal Responsibilities." The textbook presents the Society of Professional Journalists` Code of Ethics, which is covered in four sections, namely, Seek the Truth and Publish It, Minimize Harm, Act Independently, and Be Accountable.
The last section may be the one most often overlooked. To be accountable journalist should:
* Clarify and explain news coverage and invite dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct.
* Encourage the public to voice grievances against the news media.
* Admit mistakes and correct them promptly.
* Expose unethical practices of journalists and the news media.
* Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.
We invite our readers to use the Speak Out or Letters to the Editor to remind us if Cedar Key News fails to observe those ethical standards. | 