Everyday Ethics

Journalistic ethical standards that form the profession’s foundation.

Guest Column: Being Transparent With Sources Is Key to Building Trust

Guest columnist Dan Levine, a Reuters investigative reporter, explains the importance of sharing with sources how the editorial process works to earn their trust, minimize their exposure and protect their safety.

The Markup’s Syed Leads Workshop About BI Coverage and Ackman

Nabiha Syed, chief executive of The Markup and a media lawyer, led an Ethics & Journalism workshop for students in February through a case study focused on privacy, news judgment, and the role of corporate ownership in overseeing editorial decisions.

Ben Smith: Parachuting Reporters Into Hot Spots, Relying on Amateur Newsgathering Is Fraught

In a recent Semafor column, Ben Smith, editor-in-chief of the site and former media columnist at the New York Times, lays out the potential shortfalls of the historic practice in American journalism of parachuting in senior reporters to hot spots around the globe who then rely on fixers, stringers, assistants, contractors and local journalists for […]

Ethical Breach By Boston Globe Reporter Puts Newsroom’s Decision to Publish in Spotlight

The Boston Globe and reporter Kevin Cullen are facing scrutiny for a breach of journalistic ethics by Cullen as he reported a story about a Connecticut woman’s journey to die by assisted suicide, as well as for the Globe’s decision to publish the story after they learned of his ethical breach. The article, published Jan. […]

Indian Ruling Against Reuters Is Blow to Free Speech, POLITICO Writes

An Indian judge’s ruling has set back free speech on the internet by ordering news agency Reuters to remove global web access to a November 2023 cybersecurity investigation, according to an in-depth report by POLITICO Magazine’s Michael Schaffer, a senior editor and columnist.

Marty Baron Shares Insights on His Career, The State of Journalism

Former Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron spoke with Stephen J. Adler, director of the NYU Ethics and Journalism Initiative and former editor-in-chief of Reuters, at New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute on Nov. 1, 2023. Find highlights of their conversation, as well as Baron's responses to questions from the audience of students, faculty members and professional journalists, in this post.