Journal for the Study of Antisemitism

2009] BETRAYING TRUTH 147
eral facts of human society” such as political affairs; it prevents them from
knowing any particular facts about themselves. 31
CODES OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS FOR JOURNALISTS
Though standards of conduct may not be imposed upon journalists by
the government, the profession itself has long recognized the importance of
abiding by certain core ethical principles. The code accepted by most of the
news media is that promulgated by the Society of Professional Journalists,
whose members, believing that “public enlightenment is the forerunner of
justice and the foundation of democracy,” pledge to pursue “seeking truth
and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues.” They
“strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty.” The cornerstone
of their credibility is professional integrity: “The duty of the journalist is
. . . seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events
and issues.” 32
The goals of the SPJ code are fourfold: To Seek Truth and Report It;
To Minimize Harm; To Act Independently; and To Be Accountable. 33 In
“seeking truth,” ethical journalists are required to be “honest, fair and courageous
in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.” 34 In “mini-
31. See definition of Kant’s veil of ignorance, available at http://www.answers.
com/topic/veil-of-ignorance-1.
32. See Preamble, Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists, at
http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp. The SPJ Code of Ethics is voluntarily embraced
by thousands of writers, editors and other news professionals. The present version
of the code was adopted by the 1996 SPJ National Convention, after months of
study and debate among the Society’s members.
33. Id.
34. The code elaborates on this standard as follows: Journalists should –
test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to
avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible; diligently
seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to
respond to allegations of wrongdoing; identify sources whenever feasible.
The public is entitled to as much information as possible on
sources’ reliability; always question sources’ motives before promising
anonymity. Clarify conditions attached to any promise made in
exchange for information. Keep promises; make certain that headlines,
news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics,
sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify
or highlight incidents out of context; never distort the content
of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical clarity is
always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations; avoid misleading
re-enactments or staged news events. If re-enactment is necessary
to tell a story, label it; avoid undercover or other surreptitious