Stephen J. Adler
Director, Ethics and Journalism Initiative
Stephen J. Adler has led national and global newsrooms for more than two decades, most recently as editor-in-chief of Reuters.
A global advocate for free speech and journalism ethics, Adler is board chair of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and a board member and immediate past chair at the Columbia Journalism Review. He is on the advisory council of Physicians for Human Rights.
How Journalists Can Make AI Work for Them
A framework for newsrooms to use AI in ways that don’t sacrifice quality or lessen oversight.
Updating an Unenforceable Ethics Code in a Skeptical Age
Why maintain a nationwide journalism code of ethics, as the Society of Professional Journalists does, when it is unenforceable and when most major news organizations have crafted excellent codes of their own? Why go to great lengths to assemble a high-powered group of editors and journalism teachers to update this unenforceable code – especially at […]
Ethics and Democracy | Ethics and Technology
A Future for Journalism: Courage is Required
Excerpt from Stephen J. Adler’s keynote address at the “Journalism and Good Governance” conference at the University of Navarra School of Communication in Madrid, Spain: September 27, 2025
Do We Really Know How Trump Decided to Bomb Iran?
Reporters and readers should be skeptical of unnamed “insiders.”
Our Mission Is To Publish – Not To Hide Our Work Away
Ethics and Journalism Initiative Director Stephen J. Adler on why “takedowns” pose serious risks to free speech and the historical record and are unlikely to offer actual protection.
Fostering a Culture of Newsroom Independence
How to fight anticipatory compliance.
Getting Past Newsroom Myopia
The results of the 2024 election left many national media commentators stunned. This surprise begs the question: what can coastal big-city news organizations do to more accurately reflect and understand the concerns of the American public?
My Student Asked: Is It Ethical to Share Common Experiences, Interests or Beliefs with a Source?
The other day, a student asked me whether, in interviewing a union official for a story, it was OK to tell the official that the student had been a union organizer a few years before entering journalism school. Would this be ethical, the student asked?
Ethics and Diversity | Everyday Ethics
Confronting Falsehoods Carries Risks for the Press. So Does Ignoring Them.
Donald Trump's and J.D. Vance's recent comments about Haitian immigrants present a familiar challenge to journalists: how to report on misinformation without amplifying it.
