We will avoid descriptions that give only the person’s race and gender. We will report suspect descriptions when the information is detailed enough to be useful to people who want to protect themselves or help police find the suspect. This is particularly important in coverage of crime. The snapshot shouldn’t overlook minority residents.ĭiverse faces and voices should be woven into the everyday fabric of the newspaper, but, unless relevant, we don’t identify someone’s race or ethnicity in a story. Each day’s newspaper creates a snapshot of Lincoln and southeast Nebraska. This is particularly important in cases in which an individual is exonerated.įollow-up stories that contradict the main point of a prior story should get equal or better play whenever possible. In the interest of fairness, we try to report the eventual outcome of any major criminal charges that we report. If the person or a spokesperson cannot be reached for a comment, we will state that in the story and indicate what effort was made to get a comment. We will make every effort to elicit a response and will consider delaying publication if it seems likely that will allow us to get a response. A person or entity being criticized in a news story should have the opportunity to respond – and the response should get fair play in stories. We should seek out the advocates and the opponents, but also the undecided and the silent. It’s important to get both sides but even better to get all sides. It’s acceptable to use quotes with poor grammar to reflect the local vernacular or if it is necessary to add flavor or make a point in the story. While it is acceptable to eliminate a person’s “ums” or stutters, quotes must not be edited for style or grammar – paraphrase instead. As a result, reporters should use direct quotes only when they are certain of the accuracy and only in proper context. Readers are right to expect that statements contained within quotation marks represent exactly what the person said. When practical, we will edit wire stories to avoid reliance on unnamed quotes. If an unidentified source must be used, the reason should be stated and the source should be described as fully as possible without identifying him or her so readers can gauge the source’s credibility. If the situation is serious enough, we will risk being held in contempt of court rather than reveal the source. However, in some situations, a court can order us to reveal sources. The editor shares the reporter’s obligation to protect the confidentiality of the source. (4) The editor or managing editor knows the name of the source and OKs using the information without a name. (3) The information is considered unimpeachable or has been verified to the fullest extent practicable. (2) The information from the anonymous source is crucial to the story, and we can’t get it any other way. (1) The reporter has tried hard to persuade the source to use his or her name and explained that anonymous quotes have less credibility with readers than quotes from named sources. The Journal Star quotes unnamed sources sparingly and only if: That puts our own credibility on the line. In publishing a story quoting anonymous sources, we vouch for the veracity of what’s said. We uphold the right to speak unpopular opinions and we provide a forum for clashing viewpoints. It is, however, our job to defend the First Amendment and these laws on their behalf and to resist attempts to weaken them. Constitution and the state’s open meetings and open records laws do not belong to us they belong to all the people. Section one: Seek truth and report it as fully as possible In the end, the simplest rule of thumb for ethical decisionmaking is this: Don’t do anything that you wouldn’t be willing to explain on the front page of the paper. It may not cover every situation, but will serve as the basis for discussion and final interpretation by the editor and managing editor. This code of ethics is a statement of our principles and applies to all editorial department employees and freelancers. Without the trust of our readers, we will be unable to adequately perform our mission of providing news, analysis and an open forum for the exchange of ideas and opinions. We earn credibility through truthful reporting, ethical conduct, honesty and integrity. North America: United States Lincoln Journal StarĮthics code of the Lincoln Journal Star, Nebraska, adopted in November 2000.

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