What exactly is SPJ’s Code of Ethics?

It’s the world’s best-known guide for practicing journalism in a responsible and principled way. That said, it’s only a guide, not a detailed set of rules that SPJ enforces.

Why doesn’t SPJ enforce its Code of Ethics?

While that sounds good in theory, enforcing the Code of Ethics causes more problems than it solves.

First, journalism is a messy process. Even the courts can spend years determining libel. Imagine how many months and calories it would take to decide if a specific news report was ethical.

Second, who would decide? Courts have judges and juries. SPJ doesn’t. We certainly don’t want the government deciding, for obvious reasons. (The most obvious: Its leaders tend to hate journalists who expose their financial, criminal, and moral failings.)

Third, while other professions – think doctors and lawyers – have rules that can get medical licenses revoked and attorneys disbarred, journalists aren’t licensed in the first place. And that’s the last thing SPJ wants. The First Amendment protects freedom of the press for everyone, not just those a licensing board deems worthy.

What good is a Code of Ethics if it’s not enforced?

Just because the code is voluntary doesn’t mean it’s ineffective.

Many voluntary activities are potent simply because we wish them to be, whether it’s waiting your turn in line or helping someone who’s been hurt. No law compels you to do these acts of kindness, but good people (who are most people) do them anyway.

Journalists know their credibility depends on their readers, listeners, and viewers believing in them. So they heed SPJ’s Code of Ethics for reasons both noble and self-interested.

When was SPJ’s Code of Ethics adopted?

SPJ’s first code dates back to 1926. It borrowed heavily from the American Society of Newspaper Editors, but in 1973, SPJ tore it down and rewrote the code from scratch.

It was revised in 1984, 1987 and 1996. The last revision was in 2014, and that took months of study and debate. There’s talk of revamping it again to add the ethics of AI. But nothing has been decided yet.

So what’s the goal of the SPJ Code of Ethics?

Best to quote Fred Brown, a former SPJ national president, ethics chair, and one of the authors of the 1996 update…

The Code of Ethics is an open document. The more it’s distributed – and used – the better. It’s not intended to be arcane or cryptic. It’s not like a secret handshake for the members of some mystic order. If it were, we would put something at the bottom similar to what’s run in television ads for zippy cars: “Professional Driver. Closed Course. Do Not Attempt.”