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Journalism Ethics: The Global Debate
session can be found in Chapter Two
of this manual, “A Global Model for
Ethical Decision Making,” which
grounds today’s approaches to ethical
dilemmas in history and tradition.
Dr. Kidder’s session and discussion
among the conference participants
formed the raw material for an ICFJ
video and handbook entitled
Journalism Ethics: The New Debate.
Available in English, Spanish and
Portuguese, the video and handbook
were designed to advance
understanding and implementation of
professional ethics in Latin American
media organizations and educational
institutions. Some of the original case
studies from Latin America can be
found in this manual, supplemented
by cases from Africa, Eastern Europe
and Asia, as well as new cases from
Latin America.
“Ethics is obedience to the
unenforceable.” Therefore, it
is up to journalists
themselves - not
governments or outside
authorities - to set the
standards for their
profession.
-Dr. Rushworth Kidder
The Role of Ethics “Codes”
Ethics Codes remain in the forefront of
any discussion about journalism
ethics. Distinctions between law and
ethics; codes and rules; voluntary and
obligatory compliance leap
immediately to mind, as do questions
of enforcement. In much of the world,
a history of authoritarian governments
has left a legacy of traditions (even
laws) and institutions intended to
regulate the practice of journalism. In
some cases, ethics codes have been
treated as if they were laws, and the
practice of journalism has been
restricted to those professionals
certified or licensed by statesanctioned
journalism organizations.
While journalists may resist
government regulation under any
guise as a threat to freedom of the
press, they recognize the need for
statements of journalistic principles at
various professional levels. Those
include codes by professional
journalistic organizations, councils
sponsored by professionals or media
owners to enforce standards, and
specific policy statements on
standards and ethics by individual
news organizations.
When considering laws versus codes,
it is helpful to remember an axiom put
forth by Dr. Kidder, “Ethics is
obedience to the unenforceable.”
Therefore, it is up to journalists
themselves—not governments or
outside authorities—to set the
standards for their profession.
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In the United States and other countries, codes reflect more shared universal values than differences,
and these shared ethical premises form the platform for this handbook. (See Appendix B for the code of
the U.S.-based Society of Professional Journalists and Appendix C for a listing of professional codes of
ethics that are available online.)
International Center for Journalists