Journalism Ethical - Graines de Changement

3Pursuing the News19. The Times treats news sources just as fairly and openly as ittreats readers. We do not inquire pointlessly into someone’spersonal life. Staff members may not threaten to damageuncooperative sources. They may not promise favorablecoverage in return for cooperation. They may not pay forinterviews or unpublished documents.20. Staff members should disclose their identity to people theycover (whether face to face or otherwise), though they neednot always announce their status as journalists when seekinginformation normally available to the public. Staff membersmay not pose as police officers, lawyers, business peopleor anyone else when they are working as journalists. (Ashappens on rare occasions, when seeking to enter countriesthat bar journalists, correspondents may take cover fromvagueness and identify themselves as traveling on businessor as tourists.)21. Theater, music and art critics and other writers who reviewgoods or services offered to the public may conceal theirTimes connection but may not normally assert a false identityor affiliation. As an exception, restaurant critics may makereservations in false names to protect their identity.Restaurant critics and travel writers must conceal their Timesaffiliation to eliminate the possibility of special treatment.Personal Relations with Sources22. Relationships with sources require the utmost in soundjudgment and self discipline to prevent the fact or appearanceof partiality. Cultivating sources is an essential skill, oftenpracticed most effectively in informal settings outside ofnormal business hours. Yet staff members, especially thoseassigned to beats, must be sensitive that personal relationshipswith news sources can erode into favoritism, in fact orappearance. And conversely staff members must be awarethat sources are eager to win our good will for reasons oftheir own.8E T H I C A L J O U R N A L I S M